Kenneth White writes:
Arsene knows that he has 2 must win games remaining this season.
The first is at home to Villareal and the second is at home to Spurs. He knows that Spurs won’t take maximum points from their remaining games, so he doesn’t need to either, as long as he beats them at Highbury. He knows that he can still take 4th place, because his run in is easier than Spurs.Hopefully, he’ll have a 3rd must win game. In Paris, in May.
Michael Glading writes:
I like your ‘measured criticism’ – of course you are 100% right in what you say. How does someone as intelligent as Arsene not see that Alex Song cannot pass the ball properly? He lacks the basic skills – when his passes do find their man, generally speaking the ball is not on the ground – more like a bounce near the ankle!
Adebayor is SO much like Kanu its scary – Kanu was brilliant, but always failed to score the simple goals. Groundhog day returns! Surely we can find a player who has the ability to score simple goals – we have enough brilliance in the team to afford a ‘nuts ‘n bolts’ type player who is capable.
Martin writes:
Totally concur with you on AW and subs. When you look at a Mourinho or Benitez, even big Sam, they can access a game and make early subsitutions to change the situation. AW will let the team/player in bad form struggle and the make a 78-85 mins type subsitution!!! Rice justs sit on the beach and Gawks!!
There is no analysis or assesment like ”Ok, whats going to happen if we leave it this way” [As you said a Draw waiting to happen] Being RVP on for 10 mins will not save the game. EA needed to come off after 60mins – he needed a hole to climb into.
Meanwhile ‘Hairy Bottle’ reckons:
Hi Mr Myles, I believe you got into those “heat of the moment” thing again. I don’t see any wrong with AW selection on Wed. Yes it looked weak in midfield but is there any moment in the game we looked like losing the game?
In fact if not for those bad misses we’ll be singing about AW brave team selection that works! Come on its easy to lash out after the game……like we all do sometimes. Ok good day to you and Mr Ian.
Glo reckons
Funny how people see problem when we lose. What if we won, with the way the game went. It was really a player who has done well that let us down, AdeForget statics, Arsene knowssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Baggies fan Cyril Randle says:
The title of your piece is a little ambiguous. You had me thinking Arsenal were going to rest players AGAINST us, The Baggies. So, on reading the piece, my hopes were dashed! Is there a plot to keep Portsmouth up I ask? West Ham played a bunch of kids, then lay down and died. Then Arsenal did likewise.
To be fair, Pompey fans cheered us to victory at our place last day of last season as long as Soton went through the trap door, so I don’t begrudge them if they do it and we don’t.
Tony Bates says:
There are golden rules in football which as you know should never be broken.NEVER CHANGE A WINNING TEAM. Wenger always wants to test these rules, almost as if he was touching fate.So he changes the team.YOU ONLY EVER GET ONE CHANCE. Wenger and Henry know this and they will not be testing this rule!
The one chance that may never come again is to win the European Cup. All that stands in the way is a second rate South American side, Milan with its slow aging defence and Barcelona who may have dangerous forwards will not be good enough to defend against Henry and Fabrigas. The cup is ours.
Mark Jamieson
I would like to disagree with your assertion that Mr Wenger “bungled his selection” last night. Yes, the result was not what we hoped. However, depsite the seven changes, we still created far more clear cut chances than Portsmouth & should have won the match.
Ultimately, Adebayor – one of those who were kept in the starting line-up – cost us the three points with his two shocking misses. A bad result does not necessarily make the team selection wrong. Also, to suggest the players were rested for the West Brom is erroneous. The players were clearly rested for the three games in a week versus Villareal (x2) & Tottenham.
An away game at a cold Fratton Park with the travelling involved is far more dangerous physically than a home game against West Brom. Our season depends on those three games & I fully expect us to come out of them with 4th place in our hands & a first Champions League final performance to look forward to. Keep the good work up!
Jeff Morrison says:
On Adebayor, last night’s performance could make you wonder what Wenger sees in him, but that would be forgetting how well he combined with Henry and others against Aston Villa. He is much like Kanu – nice touch for a big man (usually), with nice little moves and decent vision to pick out teammates. But he’s also fast, can beat a player in near the way Henry does by passing to himself and going around the defender when he has the space.
Henry has said that he’s the target man they’ve been looking for – not only a hold it up, put it on my head target man, but one that can keep the flow of Arsenal’s moves going in open play. Still raw, and his confidence has to be hurting after last night, but the tools are all there for him to be the perfect partner up front for Henry. That’s something that’s been missing for a while.
Steve Webb says:
Of course…Arsene could just be creating a smoke screen…he might say he wants to finish 4th but that’s because it’s what we and the media expect him to say…but what he is really doing is resting players for the Champions League and he actually wants Spurs to finish 4th so that when Arsenal win the European Cup it fulfills the ultimate end of season joy for all Arsenal fans…not only do we finally win the European Cup but in so doing we deny Spurs the chance of entering the competition…it probably even beats 1989 as an end to the season…don’t underestimate the man!
lc says:
It was a result of bad coaching. You must play your first choice team for a key game, rather than playing Sol, Song and deflecting the young Djourou (but he did well).
About RVP: He doesn’t like it rough and he doesn’t chase balls. He doesn’t link up well with Henry. That’s my only concern about him. He is a brillant natural striker, but I doubt him for Premiership football if he doesn’t manage to rise his profile (pace).
Peter West reckons:
I think you are judging AW too harshly and too soon. We didn’t get 3 points so his changes must have been wrong? Or were his changes ok, we created enough chances, but didn’t finish them. Would we have scored at all if RvP had played with TH instead of Adebayor. Possibly not. It usally seems that it has to be one or the other but not both. Was it a good idea to rest Eboue in advance of Villareal game given that he has been carrying a knock? Of course it was! Did Campbell need to get a game or two under his belt before we play Villareal just in case injuries made him essenatial. Of course he did!
AW has to take some risks in these games and the game against West Brom for that matter because he can’t take any risks against Villareal and Tottenham. Somehow he has to get our best 11, uninjured and as rested as possible, for these games. It is always going to be a balancing act. To describe Aw as useless and infer that you were only being too nice to him in your book because he took chances he would have prefered not to have taken is unwarranted and unfair.
Jean-Michel points out:
Hello Mr. Palmer, I think you were a bit harsh on Alex Song in your column today. I’m not sure why everybody is getting on him instead of Diaby, who had a much worse game. I lost track of the number of times he passed the ball to nobody at all. I thought Song did a passable job in a more defensive role. It was Diaby who was the weak link in the build-up play.
Of course I don’t think we should get on either of them at all or on Wenger, but that’s another question. The schedule makes for difficult decisions, and whichever one you choose can be demonstrably proven to have been wrong all along once things go awry.I remember very well Wenger making the opposite choice many a time and getting knocked out of the Champions League with tired, tired players.
The team we had out tonight was capable of beating Portsmouth, and would have if not for Adebayor missing chances he could have missed just as easily with Gilberto and Eboue and whoever else on the field instead of Song and Djourou. And whatever team we put out was just as capable of losing a man in the box, as we have proved many times before this year.Anyway, fair comment, but I think you were being very harsh and somewhat unjust in your criticism.Thank you for your time, Jean-Michel Laprise
David Crawford complains that:
To write off Song after one game, in a weakened team, is grossly unfair. He worked hard, put his foot in and tried to make his passes. He was clearly very nervous and this affected his performance, also Diaby – whilst very impressive – kept moving forward and leaving Song an impossible task.
Whether we should spend 3-4 million making his move permanent is debatable, but do not slaughter him for a shaky full league debut away at a team fighting for their lives.
Further I fully support Arsene’s team selection. It made the game more interesting from the off, allowed us to see the young squad players in real action, and quite simply if we want to win the European Cup players like Gilberto need a rest. I am happy to see Arsene gamble league points in an effort to lift the one trophy we all want and if it backfires I will not criticise him retrospectively. Shame we don’t still have Edu though – that was a mistake.
Neville pronounces:
Arsenal are going to suffer from the Benetiz and Mourinho factor. Tactical managers who realise an essential ingredient for Premiership football is British grit. Ferguson has responded in typical fashion and is producing a squad that will challenge next season. Our Champions League form really covered up some alarming problems in the Arsenal squad – by the way we got so lucky in that competition. They lack leadership, drive, determination and fortitude. Thierry as captain is laughable.
When Arsene took over he found a club with some negatives but the major positive factor at the club was grit and determination, that’s now gone completely. The club now reminds me of the collapse of the Roman empire – decadence personified. Can you imagine what Mour would have said about that penalty, Thierry would have benched and he certainly would’nt be saying ‘I’d do it again’. Actually Thierry sums up the situation at Arsenal very well. We don’t want to criticize because of the great football we’ve seen but we know the time has come for radical change. We play for 4th place next season, put your money on it.
Philip Sisson says:
A great article on last night’s game and agree 100 per cent. Play for the points with your best team and rest at the end when out of sight from Spurs who cannot catch us. Our new number 11 will have a heavy burden on his shoulders if TH goes after those misses. Keep going the best web site in business.
Matt Quill thinks:
I think after reading this, if indeed he reads it, Arsene would smirk in that typically intelligent & generous Arsene way. Then add..”Well, You can’t deny this boy’s passion!”
Big Weekend coming up. The team seems to have lost the unity, the fuel that burst them on to the pitch against Real up until Old Trafford. You’re right – there’s no real leader there! No one to stop the doubting & bitching setting in.
Per Arne Flø says:
Adebayor reminded me of Christofer Wreh last night. He was also gulity of waisting golden goalscoring opportunities. If Ade don’t improve he will not stay for long in this team.
While Ben Dean disagrees:
I feel you are being unfair on Adebayor, as you say he is a rough diamond. He has played well on the whole and just needs a bit of time, he’ll come good.
Remember Thierry when he first came, couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo if my memory serves me correctly. I think a big problem has been the lack of midfield goals away from home, they have been very rare indeed.