Gunner Pete says:
Hi ANR
I sat with my brother (a Chelski Supporter) and watched the CSKA & West Ham matches. We both salivated over the beauty of our moves, but noticed two big flaws in Arsenes team tactics. We watched the W.Ham match and the flaws became open sores, and so easy to see we could not understand why others, especially Arsene have not .
Flaw one…..lightweight midfield mainly due to injuries, but also due a bit to AW relying on Cesc to much. Answer = First make Kolo Toure our captain, then place him side by side with Silva in front of our defence, but with the freedom to attack when he wants. This mean bringing in Senderos to play alongside Gallas. He gives us so much more power in defence, and attack. AW, could then play a 4-2-2-2 system, which would be so powerful against any style of any team including Bolton & Blackburn. They wont bully that back 6 !
Flaw two = Zero / none / tactics at corners and freekicks. I counted 46 corners in the past 3 games and no shots or even saves needed. That is shameful! If AW was not so insistant that his way is the only way, I would suggest he goes through all the videos of our matches under George Graham…..Steve Bould could also teach him a lesson or Five about where to stand and how to vary, what should be an advantagous deadball shots.
The SAD & SORRY fact is That Arsene will (a) never read this (b) if he read it, he would ignore it!
How do I know….just look back at his record after we have won a trophy…his team always repeats the same moves the very next year without fail.
Pratik Tandale says:
Agreed with everything u have written but can Arsene have the guts to change the captainn. What effect will it have on Thierry?
I guess the only solution to it would be a new manager after Arsene resigns and that too is a big loss for the club.
Ian says:
Was Henry originally appointed captain (and vice-captain before that) just to placate him as a means of getting that contract signed?
Everything that’s been done to secure his continued stay at the Emirates has backfired, it seems. We give him the captaincy, and he’s lilywhite, and he goes about whingeing at his own players. I only see him smile and attempt to inspire after he’s put the ball in the back of the net. Wenger builds a formation around him, and we get pigeonholed into an area of the pitch so narrow that we might as well still play at Highbury. We give him the 100k/week contract, and he’s rendered even more ineffective. It’s not proper evidence, and it’s only a one-off, but he’s out of the team and we get our best result of the season at Old Trafford. I love him dearly, but his contributions are being exposed as ornamental and gratuitous. A run through the opposition’s defence, a back-to-the-goal volley, wonderful things to watch, all of them, but pointless if we don’t get results, and we’re not getting them now, are we?
Additionally, I’m beginning to hold Wenger culpable for the mess we’re in. We play nice football and he is a footballing genius, but as some pundit said earlier this month, Arsenal is just mid-late 80’s Spurs, lots of flash, little end product. You’ve called him a choreographer, rather than a tactician, and I can find no better label for him. His inability to integrate the team into the width of the pitch at Emirates and his stubbornness to switch styles against the Everton’s, CSKA’s and West Ham’s are not endearing qualities. We can retain the crisp passing AND be strong, direct and conservative when the need arises. There is a synthesis available. Look at Man U. Skill players can also be nurtured into strong-willed defensive players, as exemplified by Big Phil’s work with Brazil. If Wenger cannot adjust, then perhaps we need to rethink the superlatives with which we lavish him. I understand his stated desire to entertain, but I am most entertained by a victory, regardless of the end result or the passes completed enroute to the goals.
Steve Phillips says
…Gallas was gutted because it was his man who scored. He knew it instantly. He was a stride behind.
Steve Phillips adds:
You change the rhythm. Give it to the enthusiastic and the kids. Take the enthusiasm you do have, rest the weary, and put in the hungry. Put Senderos at the back, maybe even with Kolo if he’s keen. Eboue and… well, ask Gallas if he’s game for it, or Clichy. Aliadiere and Adebayor up front, get Flamini a game in midfield where he belongs and give hime someone to work with, maybe Denilson or Merida are the ticket. Put Theo on the left, one of the speedy young lads on the right (hey, maybe RvP would fancy having a go on the right flank) and tell them “solid back line, keep the ball out of our end, Flamini cover everything, carte blanche, kids, go out and show your stuff. Total running. We don’t have bulldogs, so we have to go with terriers and annoy the crap out of them. Let Theo, et al, fire in the corners and free kicks and develop an alternative approach for Thierry’s off nights.
You are right, Myles, when the other team are packing their box, our best option is to run in there, dribbling fast and hard, and looking for mistakes, loose balls, penalties, and the midfield following up to grab the loose stuff and fire it back into the pinball machine.
In general, when Thierry’s not on, AW should have the balls to sub him off. AW also needs to give his subs some time to get into the game. Ten minutes of desperation is not enough.
Isaac Adom says:
It goes without saying that you are the most insightful of all the writers that care to shre their opinions about my beloved football club on the web. I respect the fact that you write from a personal standpoint and do not seek to look good in the eyes of the majority of arsenal fans. Such bravery should be admired. I know you were only assuming what Wenger’s thought process was in the moment that Harewood swept the ball into the back of the net but I must say that maybe you were being a little over dramatic and sensationalist. I dont think after 10 years of coaching wenger will ever be phased with a 10 point gap with 28 games to go or is overly worried of the visit of a team that is yet to produce a win of note away from Anfield in the premiership this season. What we witnessed was an outpouring of emotion from a manager that has the desire to WIn the premiership this year, more than ever before.
Thanks for the insightful articles that you continualy post and keep up the good work. They are always refreshing.
I’m a 21 year old Arsenal fan from Botswana in Africa who is blessed to have satellite TV that beams all 380 Premiership games. Thank God for technology and thank God for Arsens Wenger’s Arsenal)
John Ward writes:
Interesting article, I’d just point out that its been a few years since Freddie scored more than a handful of goals.
Ian McPherson says:
I’m surprised by the impact Gallas has had on the team.
He is a classy-looking player and seems determined to show that first and foremost.In my view, this results in two things. Firstly he overplays before he passes and the result is often that his pass puts the recipient under unnecassary pressure. Secondly, he slows us down.
sam says:
I know you are a journalist, but sometimes I feel you have a touch of the chat room troll about you. Yes it is frustrating and you have laid out an argument which is difficult to disagree with but you really aren’t offering any solutions here.
What you could and perhaps should of said is that Wenger made in the last 2 transfer window a concerted effort to add some weight to his team. Adebayor and Diaby (Walcott being the kind of characteristic frivolity which makes Wenger so loved by fans) and then Gallas and Baptista.
4 big guys addressing not only the lightweight nature of the team but also our tactical rigidity. Wenger is publicly very stubborn but his actions tend to show a measured and patient reponse to real as opposed to inflated problems.
The CSKA game was just ridiculous and due to the inexperience both as individuals and as a team it did have an effect on them. Wenger would have changed things for the west ham game (remember when he used to play gilberto on the right for physical games with edu in the middle) but he couldn’t, these things happen.
He will certainly be working his ass off with the team this week, and fabregas will certainly be resting – you are so bloody negative anyone would think you are a Leeds fan. Things aren’t that bad, what kind of shape were we in before the Man U match – crap shape, but with being a big team comes the pressure to come out and play and we all know what that means. Remember the schooling Fabregas gave Alonso last time… you are read by Arsenal fans and arsenal fans alone, remember that.
chima opines:
I don’t think that people like Vance understand that football is a competitive sport. He’s one of those that are easily satisfied and happy to think that every thing is ok because they are beautiful. As an Arsenal fan, i get frustrated with fellow fans like Vance who object to the reality that the team needs improvement and at times they simply are not good enough. Vance, remember how many points we finished behind Chelsea last season. Remember when Manu thrashed us 4-2 at Highbury. Wake up
chima adds:
Wenger is not a tactician, but he’s a professor. He’s new formation of playing 3 wingers behind Henry worked wonders for him in last seasons Champions League and it will work wonders for him again. For Liverpool withdraw RVP from the left. Play Hleb or Rosicky there. I would personally prefer Rosicky, with Hleb on the right. If Lungberg isn’t ready, play RVP deep, in the hole behind Henry, as the 3rd winger. Do not bring Senderos back. He’s gonna be world class in the future, but not yet. Long term solution, he needs to get Ribery ASAP. This will bolster his attack when players are injured.
Myles,
Your a brave man to say what you did about Thierry Henry.
I whole-heartedly agree with you and also agree that Arsene is not playing as a tactician at the moment.
What I want to know is does he not look at previous matches where we have absolutely battered teams. Surely he should sit the team down and show them what they were doing right in the past?
I feel there is a serious morale problem in our camp and it has been like that for a long time.
Last year we played so brilliantly in the Champions League, I enjoyed every match, but this season I have not enjoyed one single match.
Anyway, I could babble on forever about how disappointed i have become but I would probably come across like a muppet.
My main reason for commenting was to thank you for writing your about Thierry and Arsene. We are not the best team in the league, and WE DO NOT play the exciting football that the press say we do.
We just go at teams, we don’t really show them any respect, Fabregas says that teams play anti-football against us. I say they play football that they need to play in order to beat us.
Glad to get some that off my chest. Good luck Myles.
Myles. May I offer my support to you in relation to some of the criticism you have received in a number of recent e-mails. I for one cannot understand all this praise in relation to the style Arsenal are currently playing. After visiting Ashburton on a number of occasions this season I can confirm that we are a totally ineffective, one system team, that is unable to mix or vary our game, thus resulting in poor result after poor result. When I visit Ashburton I feel I am attending a Primera Liga game such is the style of play we currently adopt. We have become a slow build up team. At times it is truly awful and nearly always frustrating. Why can’t Arsene see that this style, although enjoyable for people who don’t support Arsenal (who thus are quite happy when we drop points on a regular basis) is doomed to failure & will inevitable lead to the team only being competitive in cup competitions. Seriously, I can hardly bear to watch us, such is the frustration that you go through every Saturday/Sunday afternoon.
P.S. I am a ‘Gooner’. First got took to Arsenal at the age of 5 by my dad 30 years ago. Totally agree with your definition of what makes a Gooner.
kingofpro argues:
How can you blame Henry’s captancy when you knows that he is the only one who can make Arsenal good? Who was the Captain who take us to Champions league Final? It was not Adams not Vieira..Yes,it was Thierry Henry!! I know what you mean about that Thierry Henry is not a good captain..but the true is that if he was not the captain he would leave us for Barcelona… I can really understand why always people is starting to write about Thierrys captaincy after 2 draws and now a loose…. I think Thierry did well in the Westham match, one of our best player imo.
Greg
It maybe at times like this, or maybe anytime that a team need a player who is used to winning, no matter what level it is at. Tim Cahill has great desire to do remarkable things at the top level, and ultimately that is scoring goals. Arsenal need goals from another source and there needs to be some dissonance in the way their goals are created. The virtue of effectiveness can be not under appreciated and must be football-wise treasured for what it is. Results.
Rich stipulates:
Put Henry on the bench, play 4-4-2 with Adebayor and Van Persie up front. Pin the Liverpool full backs by playing proper wide players in proper wide positions – Walcott and Hleb outside, Gilberto and Mozart in the middle.
Eboue’s back with Hleb and will run all day, Clichy will get forward better as he knows Theo’s more likely to cover him back than RVP.
Wenger’s then got a fresh and pissed off Henry for the last half hour, and Fabregas for Hleb (moving Rosicky wide) looks like a good shout as well.
There’s one thing we saw against Boro that worked well that I’m surprised Wenger hasn’t used more. When the other team are packing back, using Toure to bring the ball forward made space by forcing their midfield to cover an extra player. This would enable us to play a 3-5-2 when we have the ball and the other team’s compressed back. It doesn’t solve the congestion problem, but may pull them out of shape more than we can at the moment.
Arjun has a remedy:
Two words for all worried gooners…’Arsene Knows’.
God Bless Him.
adam plots that:
We need goals so lets play Robin van Persie on the left, where he is not very good. Whose idea was that? Wenger’s always said he wants to play 442, right about now would be a good time I think.
You always talk about spinal players, well van Persie is a front man, he looks lost out there on the left, and your spine isn’t much good in your armpit.
neville thompson argues:
Diaby? Unproven novice – give me a break – you’ve got the Wenger disease – Diaby’s potential – if he’s going to be effective that’s at least two season’s away in his position we need experience, guile and toughness – we need two physical forwards (one playing and one to come on) and a proper leader – we have deep underlying problems within the team – replacing Sol and Cashley with Clichy and Gallas cements the unbalanced framework of the team – now we are a artistic French team playing in the Premiership – when opposing fans start to chant Engerland it’s a startling development – are young English players going to feel at home at our club – at Chelski and Man U Terry Lampard Neville Rooney lay out the cultural terrain – can u imagine these guys tolerating Henrys performance on Sunday? Kolo is not going to bollock Henry and most of the rest are happy just to be playing alongside the guy – as the season unfolds west ham will be a watershed negative or positive who knows
– but in terms of winning the two main trophies forget it this season – as far as i’m concerned this is a season to watch and see how the team dynamics develop – 3 main players to clear the ambiguity Henry, Ade and Baptista.
Dominic corrects in that:
I think you missed one other point, namely Spector should not have been on the pitch when he brought down Hleb. He made a wild studs up lunge at Van Persie and only received a yellow card.
Anonymous says:
Hey there Myles,
I must say that was one of the most depressing football articles I’ve ever read. The reason it’s so depressing is that most of what you said is true. We really are going to struggle if we don’t steady the ship against Liverpool with a resounding win.
Heres hoping…
Sam Edwards thinks:
I think you have over-reacted to this defeat. 18 Premiership managers already know that the best way to beat Arsenal is to get in amongst us. Arsene has gone through rockier patches than this last season and I do not see how being in 2nd place in your group is hanging by a thread. A draw at Upton Park against a West Ham team playing like they did would have been no disgrace. Arsene always reacts angrily to defeat and I think the touchline antics were no more than an over reaction on his part. Not some deep lying fear that he has it all wrong. Liverpool will struggle to defend as well as West Ham did and they will not have Upton Park roaring them on. The players did tire and I hope this prompts a foray into the transfer market come January. But for now I think you along with a lot of other Arsenal fans need to calm down and just see it as one of those things. Deep down every Arsenal fan knew we would not win the league this year. Deep down Arsene Wenger knew we would not win the league this year. Arsene knows he needs to stay true to his principles and we will get there soon. All we need to do is find consistency.