From Brendan : Goalkeepers, defence
Hi Myles,
I take your points from the past few days.
I think as usual that you are a little over-zealous and unbalanced in your words.
I just wanted to share this with you (and ANR readers).
My older son, who’s 10, is in the same class as a boy who trains with Arsenal at their academy.
He was spotted by Arsenal when he was still at the academy of our local (Championship) club.
Anyway, his Dad, whom I consider a personal friend, told me some things about his experiences with different clubs.
The boy’s Dad (no names given, for obvious reasons) is extremely serious about sport, is highly knowledgable and would not make the comments he made to me lightly.
He said that the techical standard of the preparation of goalkeepers was superior at the Championship club where his son started than it is at Arsenal, in his view.
He mentioned a few goalkeeping positions which were standard parts of training at the Championship club, which were not practised at Arsenal. He also said that at Arsenal, the official line is that it is best to parry the ball, rather than to try and claim it.
That is, apparently, because it is statistically safer to do so.
But, as he pointed out, it goes against goalkeeping logic, and – he also pointed out – this is not the policy at the Championship club where he was before.
This just points to the fact that there is a lack of goalkeeping and defensive rigour at Arsenal. I don’t think many people had to be told that, but for me it’s useful to have some context.
Therefore, Arsenal, by design, relies on its attacking midfielders to create and score goals, as well as strikers – although in this regard, there also seems to be a bit of an absence. It works OK if Arsenal score – and the fact that the team is second in the league with the possibility (at least mathematically) of winning it shows that it’s not completely flawed.
We forget that Lukasz Fabianski was playing very well before his injury, and Szczesny had a superb run until the Birmingham mix-up. But if the attacking players can’t do the job which is apparently on the Arsenal tin (which I’m not convinced by, over a period of time) then we’re stuffed. They may prove me wrong, and there might be a sudden surge in goalscoring threat again.
But overall (to use an Arsene word) there are just too many players in that attacking midfield role doing the same thing – passing it around nicely, forgetting about beginnings and endings. As a songwriter, I find these are important too.
In football, you need decisive actions starting and finishing moves. Arsenal lacks decisive characters – it has acquired one in Jack W. and also in Wojciech S, but they are young yet.
I’ll give you this for nothing, Myles – you’re right about football being 50% attack and 50% defence.
With Arsenal, since about 2005/6, defence has fallen to below 30%, and much of the time, this is random, improvised and chaotic.
It sometimes works, and deceives us that things are OK.
All the best,
Brendan
(ps. After Liam Brady, my second footballing hero will always be big Tony Adams. When I remember how he was able to tackle, and the sheer will and determination of the man, it makes me shudder to think about our defence today.)
Myles says :
If you don’t drill your back five, you have cock-ups like the one we saw against Birmingham. Arsenal’s defending is too often random, improvised and chaotic.
AW is a data-junkie, lost in his lap-top, as I’ve said for the last three years.
Tony Adams had the rare ability of being able to shape the game.
He could mark his own man but also see what others should be doing, in the heat of fast-moving action. He could shape the game around him.
When Liverpool were top dogs, when John Barnes and Rocky were playing against each other, and when Liverpool were more skilful than Arsenal, Tony Adams could dictate where the game was being played, squeezing the space and making it much harder for Liverpool to use their superior skills. That’s how I remember Tony Adams.