Talking Tactics: Arsenal v Norwich City
The Norwich City game seemed like the perfect game to play right after an international break. Arsenal was expected to go into Carrow Road and easily seal three points. However while a composed and organized Norwich showed up, Arsenal limped into the game showing signs of complacency and fatigued and in the end gave Norwich City their first win of the season with the game finishing 1-0 to the Canaries.
Congestion in the Middle
Norwich City elected to play in a flat 4-4-1-1 ensuring that the midfield would be congested. The congestion limited Arsenal’s ability to string passes or set up scoring chances. Wide players also constantly drifted into midfield further limiting the space with which to work and ensuring Arsenal played directly into Norwich’s game plan. There were some bright moments in midfield however but overall the congestion coupled with poor movement made our midfield extremely static. Cazorla’s space was limited due to wonderful tactics employed by Norwich (more on this later) while Aaron offered no movement in support. Arteta had a steady solid game but could not contribute much going forward as he was constantly dragged back to check the runs of Hoolahan. The congestion in midfield meant that Arsenal were limited to using long balls (23 accurate long balls) to create space as through balls (1 accurate through ball) were not coming off. The lack of space also limited shots from midfield and Arsenal finished with a measly 2 shots on goal from midfield players. Arsenal’s midfield was ineffective against a compact Norwich side that provided Arsenal no space in the middle instead pushing Arsenal wide to create chances.
Go Wide!
While the midfield was congested, it provided a great opportunity for the wide players to take advantage of the freedom they were given and boy did they let us down. Both Gervinho and Podolski had days to forget with both finishing as our worst outfield players respectively. Both players showed a lack of imagination and instead of providing speed and directness were happy to instead drift into midfield adding to numerous bodies already there. Podolski was guilty of constantly resetting play instead of supporting Giroud while Gervinho was simply lost. Both players could muster only a single shot on goal and were largely anonymous. The wide players were not helped by the fullbacks either as both Santos and Jenkinson provided nothing going forward with neither able to muster a single accurate cross. While Jenkinson was solid defensively, Santos was constantly caught out of position that Bennett was happy to take advantage of.
To make matters worse, Giroud (who was industrial throughout) and our two wingers were never on the same page. Simple knockdowns and link ups were constantly misplaced and there was a distant lack of communication in the final third. What Arsenal needed on the wings was directness, something that both Podolski and Gervinho simply refused to provide. The Ox came on and immediately had a positive impact and it was devastating to lose him so quickly. Like the West Ham game we also sorely missed Theo Walcott, whose style (speed and directness) would have been ideal against Norwich City. With Norwich playing compact, space was available to be exploited on the wings but our lack of movement in wide areas put added pressure on our already congested midfield nullifying our attacking impetus.
The Cazorla Blueprint
Chelsea, a few weeks ago effectively shut down Cazorla and with that Arsenal’s creativity was lost. Norwich also did the same by putting Tettey on Cazorla thus limiting his space in the middle and Arsenal did not look like scoring the entire game. Even with Cazorla finishing with 4 key passes he didn’t offer the same cutting edge that we are used to seeing from him. What compounded Arsenal’s problems was that nobody really stepped up with Cazorla being marked out. Ramsey had a day to forget with his movement and passing being very poor. He didn’t even get into good shooting spots or provide a single key pass in the entire match. If this game was any indication of to expect then it will be of greater worry in the future as we will need to rely on players like Wilshere, Diaby and Rosicky; all of who are coming back from injuries to the share the creative burden with Santi if Cazorla is tactically shut down in games. A worrying blueprint to beating Arsenal is emerging here as teams have shown that they have success against us by simply nullifying Cazorla which begs the question… Are we still a one man team?
Other Musings
- Vermaelen has been a bit of a maverick lately however his recent performances makes his choice as captain a bit concerning. I have always maintained that our best pairing at CB is Koscielny-Per and having a CB as captain limits our ability to rotate and play the best pairing
- Arsenal urgently requires a winger who has goals in him. While both Podolski’s and Gervinho’s early form has shown promise their inconsistencies puts a lot of pressure on Giroud and the midfield to provide a cutting edge and score goals
- Giroud has a fantastic work rate and while he has good understanding with the midfield, there is a total lack of cohesion with the wingers so far
- Jenkinson has been an absolute revelation this season but Sagna will walk into the team for one simple reason, what he offers going forward. Corporal Jenkison has been fantastic overall bar his final ball, nothing deputising for Sagna won’t fix however
- While I cannot wait for Jack to be back, the midfield player I am most hoping is back soon is Diaby. Having a physical central midfield gives us versatility and guile in midfield that comes in handy especially against teams that are compact against us. An ideal line up would be having Jack as the AM with Diaby and Arteta playing behind him and Cazorla and Podolski playing on the wings
In the end, Arsenal were disappointing and watching their lack of effort was simply painful especially as they were playing a very average Norwich City side. However Norwich played to their strengths while Arsenal decided to simply show up and that in this league is unfortunately not good enough. While dropping points to Chelsea by being complacent could be justified, doing the same against Norwich is simply unacceptable. One bad showing does not automatically make Arsenal a poor team but grinding out results when not on form has always been the mark of a title contender and unfortunately on this showing Arsenal proved that it still has ways to go before we can be considered as such.
Keep the Faith.
Joel Pereira – @joel_pereira
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Agree largely with Steve’s points on the website and ‘point of difference’. Any comment is prefaced by saying how much we appreciate your work Mike, and ultimately the site should reflect what you want.
Websites come in different genres, there are the Arseblog types which essentially cater for the views of one person (i.e. Arseblog) and the comments are very very much peripheral and lowkey – did I say banal? These websites are more soapboxes for the views of the creator and in Arseblogs case he draws in a few other likeminded souls for podcast chats. Even the comments are intentionally restricted (shortened) by the look of the comment window. In saying that, Arseblog has fashioned his site into something pretty good given the genre. Similarly and more sinister is Mr 7am, he overtly disciplines comments through his rebuttles and through his faithful little band of merry men who tick ‘don’t like’ and this makes the naughty comment go away. I find this rather pathetic, and denegrades the legitimacy of the site. But they seem happy to play with each other in their little backyard.
Most sites seem to want to curry favour with Arsenal FC and I do wonder if this isn’t a little bit self-serving. Maybe the creators get subtle benefits from The Empire, and feel the need to airbrush the truth and keep a positive tone in the face of constant ‘meh’ to stay ‘in the good books’.
So there aren’t that many (any?) sites that are more inclusive forums for genuine comments and robust discussion, particularly contrary discussion. I would have thought this is the ‘point of difference’ of YAMA – at this stage. Ultimately it’s Mike’s call as to whether he wants a soapbox website or a slightly more unique discussion forum. The fact Mike solicited the interest of the renegade Arsenal America posters suggests he had something a bit more inclusive in mind.
Thanks again Mike.
Yeah, we do seem to miss Diaby a lot more than is healthy for our immediate aspirations for success. If Diaby is a key element we are in big trouble. This is the guy “mounted on two matches with a spot of glue in the middle”.’
What Diaby provided in the early early season was the ability to play in and through the true middle in the tightest of spaces and to receive and distribute the ball with skill even when under real pressure. No Diaby, no central option as a supply route. What now happens is the ball goes wide straight away, and given we have no genuine wing threat this is easier for teams to defend against. The opposition simply shadow us down the pitchline and then watch as we benignly pass laterally in front of the box (as Arsenal have done for a looooong time) against a massed defence and eventually lose possession. When Diaby was there, we were much more incisive. The ball going through the middle meant opposition midfielders and defenders were backpedaling quickly and didn’t know where the ball would end up. Diaby made Cazorla more effective and dangerous and Cazorla in turn could find Podolski and Gervinho in threatening situations. No surprise that Podolski and Gervinho and Giroud look relatively benign since Diaby’s gone. Think back if you can, Arsenal made inane laterally passing an artform under Fabregas et al.
Sadly Ramsey will never have Diaby’s dexterity in tight spaces because he’s essentially a Parlour-type British runner, not a high-class technician.
Has Wilshere got the goods to do the Diaby role? Don’t know, let’s wait and see, he’s certainly a step up on Ramsey.
To comment on a few things here, I am hopeful on Diaby because he is the type of player we need in midfield; big, drives at players, clean tackler, can spread ball, great transition defender. It’s why I was calling for Dembele/M’Vila this summer. I’m more than happy to buy a player in the same mould as Diaby, just feel that tactically we could do with him in the team. A great example of what that type of player can do is to look at Yaya’s contribution this weekend. City were down a man, playing a very strong WBA team at home. Yaya consistently drove and created space for players in the MIDDLE to take advantage of. He had a poor game by his standards but tactically he was able to keep WBA ‘honest’. That extra space in the middle is something a player like Cazorla would work wonders with.
As for the CB situation, everyone seems to have a different opinion on who should be our first choice pairing between Verm, Per and Kos and that’s a great problem to have.The issue however is that by making one of them captain we now negate the opportunity to rotate unless enforced due to injury.
please… don’t mention Yaya Toure. We had the chance to get this player for about 2 years straight, and passed on him. I REPEATEDLY BEGGED for Yaya Toure at the Arsenal… and frankly, there were quite a few folks who said he wasn’t all that.
Diaby does make a difference when he plays, but will he ever be healthy on a regular basis?
History says, no f’n way…
Points taken HTS. I didn’t think I called anyone an idiot… I use CAPS for emphasis, like exclamation points.
And I can’t even take DannyT!
:)
Its obvious our best performances have been with giroud on the bench, and gervinho down the middle. It just takes a good look to see giroud hampers our fluent movement. While i would prefer giroud in big matches, in matches vs smaller clubs that will sit deep and make it compact. its clear our movement is our best asset, and that is where giroud,chamakh,park, and bendtner have failed. The strikers we require are mcuh to the liking of David Villa, samuel eto, Higauin. Potent finishers, that have the ability to drift wide, to join in midfield when congested, provide a killer pass, But finish at will. The idea of Arsenal needing a target man, has always been. But never succeeded. Because it is simply not our style.
As for midfield both diaby and rosicky are very much so needed. It would limit ramseys play time! He often takes more than 2 touches, slows play down, and has no creativity in his final ball. H offers Arsenal nothing at all. He is a liability, and the match on saturday shows.
To our back four its fair to say koscielny of last year is not the same. his performance against chelsea was the reason we lost. And his poor tackle at internationaal level against spain, just shows that as good as he can be, he can be the total opposite. Per has been our most consistant cb this season.
Mertesacker and Koscielny together is an absolute recipe for DISASTER.
One is slow and awkward, the other prone to mistakes and own goals.
I’d say Vermaelen and Mertsacker have worked relatively well togehter so far… the goal was a matter of someone being aware that the shot was taken, oh, there might be a rebound! inexcusable and typical Arsenal defending…
If you are actually waiting for Diaby to come back into the line-up soon, and then stay healthy, then you really are crazy!!
What would make ANYONE believe that is a possibility. He got hurt how many weeks ago? and it was KICKING THE BALL!! He took a swing with his leg, and went off injured for weeks.
Are you waiting on Rosicky too?
What an absolute waste of money these two have proven to be.
Talented, but simply can’t stay on the pitch to make them worth anything.
Gonna try and use the reply box this time…..And maybe I’ll go back to spacing the paragraphs as the RSS comment button seems to have disappeared….Still not sure what the policy is regarding “promoting” comments. Given that we migrated from Arsenal America (which was all comments) it’s just not clear how the site is trying to differentiate itself. With Arsenal in a perpetual state of wallow, it’s probably not the best time to get into a “forum” model, unless you’ve got a core of contributors who can start new threads and comment, respectfully, with one another…..
On that note, Stag, I really appreciate the respect (lack of sarcasm) of your response in the last thread—And I’ve got little quarrel with your points. Likewise, I think you’ll do better responding to writers like Joel (above) by keeping it respectful, even if you do feel compelled to resort to the ALL CAPS and exclamations points, which (of course) comes off as shouting. It’s clear that you watch the team from a perspective of massive anger at ownership/management and believe that protest is the way. In this day and age of “money is everything” you’ve already done your part by refusing to “buy” the product. Telling people who retain interest that they’re idiots probably isn’t the best way of getting your point across. My advice, as always, would be to set reasonable expectations and not get carried either too low or too high from match to match. Arsenal are a business whose goal is to make money. Long term this COULD lead to better results on the pitch, or at least ensure survival amongst the top club teams and thus “competitive opportunity.” Short term there is always a chance to overachieve, but really, you have to take all the talk (from “we can win the league,” to Mannone can be a number 1″ or “we just lacked that little bit”….) for what it is. It’s all about building a “brand.” With people like you (me, others….) they’ve got a “loyal” group who are manipulated by the (old feelings of) excitement, but we need to see things for what they are. Tragic, of course, but not an unreasonable response to current conditions, I think…..
Check out DannyT’s latest blog (Arsenaltruth) for another personal story that probably explains how a lot of the older fans feel…..
Not sure how the site has differentiated itself?
Exactly…..
In all markets, esp. shrinking ones differentiation is essential. (And given how poor/not “truly” competitive Arsenal is at the moment the market for Arsenal blogs MUST be shrinking.) If YAMA was more of an open forum with quality contributors/comment writers it could be the place for people (like me, and select others) who like to write at some length but cannot be bothered to create our own blog, etc., etc., Personally I think you’ve got some good writers in the stable as well as some good people who come to comment/vent. Nobody’s particularly positive at the moment and for good reason. I remain “hopeful,” but far more in the long-term than in the short, even though it’s (pathetically) early to be throwing in the towel….
If (long-term) Arsenal (the brand) survives (at a high level), a good (comment-friendly) blog that welcomes good content from lazy would-be bloggers could be a great thing, so, from a purely selfish perspective, this is what I hope can be developed here. I envision something with maybe a little less from the writers, esp with match preview stuff we can find on other sites….and maybe more articles designed to stimulate debate. With everything as volatile as it is, some level of comment moderation would probably (eventually) be required….. Hopefully this last match (and the move to a new server) represents a low moment and it’s all uphill from here. My hunch, both with the team/club and the blog (still running desperately slowly for me), are that further hiccups cannot be avoided…..
Anyhow, thanks for all the hard work, etc. Lots of respect for an obvious labor of love. Just my 2 cents, etc., etc….
No worries. I just tried the whole forum thing and noone bit on it.