Dear Santa, All I Want For Christmas is a Big Ass Striker
Dear Santa,
I can’t thank you enough for giving us the early gift of a win over Stoke. Yeah, I know it was only Stoke but our guys haven’t been doing to well and what with all the injuries we’ve had, wins didn’t seem to be there. So thanks. Also thanks for letting Andrei find his scoring touch. He was the best present you gave us last year and unfortunately whether its the English weather or his Russian wife beating him up for his antiquated thinking he just hasn’t delivered all that much.
All of us Gooners would also like to thank you for letting us qualify for the Champion’s League early. We don’t need any more injuries to our first team players so they definitely need the rest.
But the REAL reason I am writing is what I want this year. As you may or may not know, we’re having an injury crisis of sorts down here in London. The thing is we’ve got some tremendous talent on our side but with all the injuries we’re lacking in height and strikers. We really need someone who can come in and be a presence up front because right now the midget brigade isn’t going to cut it until April.
So I was wondering if you could possibly send us one (I’m not greedy) of the following strikers:
Edin Dzeko
Edin is current at Vfl Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
He’s 23 years old
He stands at 6 ft 3 in
Recently he was one of the 30 players nominated for the Ballon d’Or
In 74 appearance for Vfl Wolfsburg he has scored 40 goals He already has 6 for his 2009/2010 Bundesliga campaign. He ended his 2008/2009 campaign with 26 goals and 10 assists in 32 league matches. And in the UEFA cup he had 4 goals in 8 matches. Finally, in 23 appearances for his national side, Bosnia Herzegovina he has 14 goals in 23 appearances. Unfortunately he is cup tied.
Santa he is big, quick and young AND he can score. All things our manager Arsene Wenger (you may have heard of him) likes. We’d REALLY like him ALOT.
Gianpaolo Pazzini:
Gizzi is only 25 years old and currently playing for Serie A side Sampdoria after spending 3 seasons at Fiorentina.
He is only 5 ft 11 in tall but hey he is bigger than anything else we got.
He holds the record for the first goal and first hat-trick scored at the new Wembley Stadium having scored in a friendly against the England U-21 squad. He made his first appearance with the Italian senior squad this year and has 1 goal in 5 appearances.
In his first two seasons at Sampdoria he has19 goals in 32 appearances. In fact 8 of those have only come in the 15 matches played so far in the 2009/2010 campaign. In 2008/2009 he scored 11 goals in 18 matches played for Sampdoria. He has been especially prolific in the Coppa Italia with 2 goals in 1 appearance this season and has 4 goals in 4 appearances last season. And he is NOT Cup Tied.
He is avirtual unknown to a lot of people outside of the EPL except for Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea( but Santa they already have too many toys) and as such I don’t think we’d have to pay too much for him.
Gizzi scores almost every time he has the ball. Granted its not against the EPL tough guys but it is in the Serie A which is no light weight league either.
Oscar Cardozo
Oscar plays for the Portguese Liga side Sport Lisboa e Benfica where he has been since 2007. Before playing for Benfica he played in Paraguay for Newell’s Old Boys.
He is 26 years old (ancient by our club standards)
He stands at 6 ft 4.5 in tall (a giant amongst our team)
Cardozo might be a little bit more expensive since he was Benfica’s second biggest signing at 11 million Euros. In all his time, 65 apperances he has scored 44 goals. So far in 11 games for the Portugese side he has 14 goals. He has two hat-tricks already in his league and a Brace against Everton in the Europa Cup. He scored the brace within two minutes. His current league scoring ratiohas him leading the league in scoring by a whopping 6 goal difference from the next scorer.
Carlton Cole:
We know Carlton really well. He bullies around our smaller players from time to time on the field. And we like him. Unfortunately he is injured right now. But that doesn’t diminish the impact he could have if we got him.
He currently plays for West Ham but came from Chelsea which would be a bonus in twisting the screw.
He is 26 and stands 6 ft 3in tall.
Since joining West Ham in 2006 he has scored 23 goals in 88 appearances. Yeah not as good as the others but imagine if he were playing on a team that could feed him the ball regularly.
He has been so strong this year that Fabio Capello finally handed him his senior international debut this season.
Dieumerci Mbokani
We really only just met this guy and he had a croker of a shot go off the cross bar against us. But from what I hear Arsene has been watching him so if he has been watching him maybe you could just put him under the tree.
Currently plays for Standard Liege
He is 24 years old and stands at 6 ft 1 in.
And in 61 appearances for Standard he has 32 goals. Not too bad. Oh and he’s African which is something Arsene also likes.
Marouane Chamakh
This is a gift we have wanted for a long time and we almost got it but no deal could be made.
Marouane plays for Ligue 1 side Bordeaux
He is 25 years old and stands at 6 ft 2 in.
He is versatile player and can play as a Striker, attacking midfielder and Winger. Given our history of injuries having someone that flexible can come in hand. Since joining Bourdeaux in 2002 he has scored 50 goals in 204 appearances. His best year was 13 goals in in 34 appearances in 2008/2009. So far for this season the Moroccan born star has 4 goals in 10 appearances.
He is a star on the rise but he is cup tied and frankly we could get him for free in the summer. So if we don’t get him we won’t be that sad – so long as we get one of the others.
Mario Balotelli:
Santa we know that this guy isn’t finished and could require some work but Arsene does have a way of getting the best out of players and getting them to play within their talents.
Super Mario has he has been called is only 19 years old and stands at 6 ft 2.5 in.
The unfortunate thing is that he plays for Inter Milan managed by the perpetual naughty guy, Jose Mourhino. Considering the relationship between him and Arsene it might not happen but if you make it happen, we won’t be unhappy.
Balotelli has unfulfilled potential and unfortunately it may be of his own doing since he has had discipline problems of late. He has not trained as hard as some of his teammates and has drawn the ire of the Special One. If you do give him to us we understand that Arsene will have his hands full with either a budding brat or a budding star. Either way he has a lot of talent and could wind up under someone’s tree. I’d prefer it to be ours rather than Chelsea’s.
Krkic Bojan
A lot of Gooners like this kid because of is potential Santa I am not one of them. For one reason only – do we really need another player under 5 ft 8 in.
Sure he plays at Barcalona in a system similar to ours and is coached supposedly by the heir apparent.
He is only 19 and only stands a whopping 5 ft 7 in tall. Not what we need to kill off the likes of Didier Drogba.
Don’t get me wrong Santa. I would be grateful if we got him. He is very talented. But their isn’t much history to gauge so far how he would fare. He has 13 goals in 59 appearances for Barca. Other than that we don’t have much to go on with him. But if he were the gift we got, we are sure, Arsene and crew would make the most of his talents.
But like I said I still think he would be too small.
Santa we really really really need a new striker. Someone with size, skill and speed. Anyone one of these would be so AWESOME in a nice red bow come January (we know you couldn’t get it to us in time for Christmas). Whatever you give us I’m sure we’ll be happy – so long as he is a striker.
Oh yeah Santa while you are at it, if you happen to have a number 1 keeper in your bag we could use a new one. The one you gave us a few years ago doesn’t work any more. Not sure if he is broke but he just doesn’t work. Oh and a left back would be nice too.
Enjoy the milk and cookies and tell Rudolph we said hi!!
Love,
Gooners!
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I read an intriguing article on Wrighty7 about Adriano coming to Arsenal. Apparently, he’s available on a free. Training with Arsenal would see him lose a lot of weight and he’s certainly got the talent. I certainly haven’t forgotten what that boy is capable of.
Coming to Arsenal, the guy is sure to score goals; goals that can put him back into the national team spotlight during a World Cup year. Personally, I think he’d be worth the risk. We’ve already got a couple of Brazilian born guys he can hang with until he gets the language right. I think he could be just what the doctor ordered. Financially, it’s a Wenger-type move and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Arsene had a sit-down with the Brazilian to see where his head is.
I mentioned Adriano available on a free earlier in this thread. As for the weight issue, he has lost 14 kg since his move to Flamengo (reportedly). In addition to the obvious physical benefits that provides, it also shows a change in him mentally I think. Being in a down and out situation like he was, and heading the wrong way, moving from a club like Inter to Flamengo.. He has bounced back from all of this very well and I do believe he will be one of the strikers to watch out for next season, whoever he is playing for.
Wrighty7 would have pulled his hair out had him being a regular here!
He would probably encouter a culture shock – are those really the Arsenal fans?!
Anyway, the man is one of my favourite bloggers around.
Stag, on your theory, I want you to consider one point – Why the board has been kept trying to fight off the takeoever of the Red and White group?
If the board let Usmanov taking over Arsenal, Arsenal would have a “sugar daddy”, and life would be easier wouldn’t it? At least according to your “buying is everything” logic.
But the decision to fight off his take over is not from Wenger, he does not have the power to make decision like this as a manager. It’s from the board.
As Peter Hill-Woods kept coming out and insist – they want Arsenal to remain as a self-finanicing club.
Of all the points you made, you rarely mentioned about the DEBT we are carrying.
If we have no debt at the moment. And Wenger is not improving his team with the money we earned through players sales, then you may have a point.
But the truth is we have debt. And it’s not a small amount of debt. So what’s so wrong for not willing to spend silly money/ or inflated money in the transfer market under a circumstance like this?
Everyone knows last summer the transfer market were inflated by Real Madrid and Man City, even Ferguson refused to get held ransom and eventually gave up on Benzema, and went for Owen instead. Only idoits like Man City would flash 23 mil on average players like J.Lescott just for the sake of it (u can go check the Man City board to see their fans’ opinion on him).
It’s the CLUB’S policy to want to remain self-financing. Until the day they decide to change the policy to embrace a sugar daddy, you just have to live with that. Like it or not. We will never turn into the next Chelsea, next Man City, not with the current board in charge.
And stop living in the past of 2004. Like I said before, had Henry out for half a season like van Persie does right now back in 2004, you really think we would win the league with Kanu, Wiltord?
And let’s do not forget one more thing – prior to 2004, there were only really two teams fighting for the title – Man U and us.
Roman’s thick pocket hadn’t arrived yet. Nor did Man City’s Middle East sugar daddy.
“I look first for the quality of the player, at his attitude and his leadership,” said the manager. “The injuries can happen to anybody. He is not responsible for what happened to him.
“I want to extend his contract so that shows you how patient I am. I think he can return to his previous level.”
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-new-deal-shows-my-faith-in-rosicky
Rosicky should consider himself lucky he has a manager like Wenger.
I bet any other manager would have get rid of him in no time after he suffered yet another injury.
He owes Wenger big time.
Arsene signing players on new contracts is a matter of economics.
E.g., Getting rid of Almunia and signing a proper GK will cost the club a lot more than just re-signing Almunia to a new contract. Almunia won’t fetch much in transfer fees, new GK will cost more and new GK will earn more (if he is any good). Re-signing players will increase only the wages of the club (which are already high). But as Kiwi said, it will at least give the illusion that we have a deep squad, which is true in numbers only.
Same argument holds true for Diaby, Rosicky, Walcott, Eduardo, every other injured / yet to be proven player. Imagine if Arsene does get rid of all of them. He would have to sign a new GK, CB (because Sendy and Silvestre are leaving on a free), CM and at least one attacking player. That is not going to happen.
We just have to hope and pray that our injuries will ease up.
Two interesting articles on Arsenal.com.
Rosicky has been offered a new deal, so the glass man stays.
Diaby could be ready for the Liverpool. What are the odds of Denilson and Diaby both starting the game? Pretty high, I think.
Geez Nip, you’re gonna get people frothing with this sort of talk…
Like it or not, we give longer term contracts to all our players based on our assessments of their potential rather than what they’ve done for us lately….Rosicky gets knackered, gets a contract, Vela looks like poop in Greece, gets a contract (THE NEXT DAY!?)…It’s a strategy that mostly creates stability in that it makes it harder for other teams to swoop for our players. Imagine for a second what it must be like in Bordeaux–they won the league, beat Juve and Bayern to top their CL group but will (likely) lose Chamakh (FOR FREE!) this summer. At least we’re using our resources (money) even if it’s not as splashy as some fans might like.
Re: Denilson & Diaby in the starting line-up…I’ll take those odds (and a wait and see attitude….) I still think it would be better to start Theo up front as ‘Pool were having their own nightmare on Wednesday in their final CL match and didn’t see Theo’s woeful performance and still carry the scars from his CL run and how he set Arshavin off for his 4th last season. In fact, I’d start him on the left just to keep Glen Johnson thinking about his defensive duties a bit….but, (esp. compared to Arsene) what do I know? ;-)
What can I say, Steve?
I remember us doing the invincible in 03-04 and letting Kanu and Wiltord leave on a free. I seem to like those days a lot better. I wonder why. ;)
perhaps because we had WINNERS in the team, and players over 25?
Henry Vieira Bergkamp Pires Ljungberg… you can lose Kanu and Wiltord if you have that sort of fire-power.
So you think we have Diaby / Denilson to look forward to at Anfield.
In the immortal words of Charlie Brown: “good grief”…
Awesome. I’d hate to see Tomas not playing for someone else.
(Hopefully, it’s a per-minute-actually-on-the-pitch kinda deal.)
“Yes, Arsenal will cash Cesc in, make a small fortune, and NOT FUCKING SPEND THE MONEY ON THE TEAM, as usual.
If that’s OK with you, then your just the type of supporter they want.
Personally, I think its time fans stopped showing up, hit the club in the pocket, and maybe they’ll try to win something beside the biggest profit.
“I like our talented kids, but they aren’t going to win anything without talented experienced players to mesh with.”
Stag, what attracted me to follow Arsenal was the technical quality and IQ of their players that created a beautiful style of play.
It was my choice, and becoming a fan, I did not give the club any ultimatums for defining their club success on the field or ownership – nor did they promise anything.
Over the years, I have grown an appreciation for the realities of life. So I follow the club to see gifted players and there is always the hope that silverware will follow, if not this year then down the road.
I think Arsene is a credible manager for Arsenal. Yes, he has faults and his position leaves him open to criticism and ‘speculation’. His character and personality will not please every fan or media pundit. However, he has proven to be very intelligent in all aspects of managing and life lessons. Arsene has the best seat in the house for viewing the club’s immediate situation and planning for OUR FUTURE.
If I had short term expectations for Arsenal, I would have dissolved my fan status after the 07/08 season.
So Stag, how long has Arsenal been a club? How many of those years did they fail to win anything?
Many years ago, I stopped grumbling that roses have thorns and became thankful that thorns have roses!
Well put Sesh, and of course I’m with you. And at the same time I appreciate the frustrations of fans that live moment to moment–I mean, that’s the big reason to watch sports, to be “in the moment,” blah, blah, blah, to live and die with each result, etc. However, I feel that watching AW try to navigate the long term interests of the club is the most fascinating element of being an Arsenal supporter and, on balance, I love it. He’s given us a bright future in a changing scenario and some great moments along the way.
Which brings me to Sunday’s game. It’s a huge one and almost a “must-win” for both teams. If ‘Pool lose to our weakened team where can Rafa turn? If we lose, the league chase is over (but for Arsene’s tiresome lip service) and ALL our chips are back in the CL (trying to do well in the knock-outs and re-qualifying with a top 4 finish). A neutral would have to say that ‘Pool should be the far more desperate team and thus maybe should have the edge in the match. We’ll see.
And then what happens in January? (For both clubs.) Who knows really and there’s plenty to happen before we get there. All I know is that I’m glad I happened to land in Highbury (which is how I came to support Arsenal) and not in Merseyside….
Yes, every fan has different expectation levels and so I don’t expect others to see day to day issues the same way.
For the match with Pool, I cannot tie my mind up with who they will start, how they will play, pressures on their players, fans, owners, & Benetiz.
Arsenal will show up, and as a fan, I hope for Arsenal to play with the high entertainment level that is norm…… and players sustain no injuries.
I don’t see this match being the season’s enchilada. The league parity is formidable – certainly stronger teams top to bottom than Serie A and La Liga. A couple of bad calls, one or two injuries, or a bad hair day and ANY favorite can be upset.
I like this Arsenal team over last year’s model. The player mix fuels my confidence for their success EVERY match.
It all changed when Wenger came. That is just reality. Regular people could go to matches, and have season tickets, and it was not shown in every country on the face of the earth. The landscape has changed, and with it the expectations.
Arsenal can not charge the prices they do for tickets, the HIGHEST in the world perhaps? or close to it… and then tighten the purse strings and sell off star players for profit.
It simply doesn’t cut it.
The team is LONDON based. Their first and most important responsibility should be to the ENGLISH supporters, who go to matches, buy the most merchandise, and make the club what it is.
You can say that you love the style of play and Wenger and his philosophies, and that’s nice, but it doesn’t cut it any more.
They have a responsibility … once Wenger and the club said they want to WIN the CL… and be a major force in Europe.
If we want to be Fulham, then we should have stayed at Highbury.
“Our “system” may not be that “special”. Only that…. not too many teams are capable of copying it and play it themselves.
Hell, it’s a system not even “Football Manager” be able to sim it into their game engine.
The players Wenger bought had fit into the system seemingly effortlessly, WHY? Because of the system is “easy” to play? Or because Wenger had thought carefully before bringing in the RIGHT players to play in it?”
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People dont “copy” the “system” Wenger uses NOT because it is hard to copy … but because they simply dont see the benefit in taking 3 additional touches around the box. GO FIGURE!
We play very flowingly when not under pressure and against smaller teams and then WILT embarrassingly when it matters. NO MANAGER in his right mind wants to copy that crap.
Again, EVERY competent player in their mid/20s will walk through the door and fit in NICELY. There is NOTHING SPECIAL about Denilson, Diaby, Silvestre and the rest of the clowns in the current “special” system.
We have Mr. Theo “Leave-The-Ball-Behind” Walcott in our team. Without injuries he would be a STARTER … yet people still allege that one has to be some extremely intelligent player to fit into our p^ssy ways.
As for the Championship Manager, I think coding extra, repetitive touches, while failing to score for the most part would increase the SIZE of the game for nothing.
I willing to bet that as soon as we start winning something, you will see our system on FM.
I doubt so nipuna.
The “dots” aren’t “intelligent” enough to move around smartly off the ball!
If our play is that intelligent it would be a WINNING or robust style.
How was our off the ball running when 2-0 down at home against Chelsea???
Exactly!
Exactly what?
I was replying to Nipuna’s prediction FM would create an Arsenal style football into their match engine.
What the fuck you are talking about?
Chelsea defeat no player movement? Then what about Spurs victory? And all the other games in which we won? All the other goals we scored? They were not necessary all deflected shots right weren’t they?
If you hate Arsenal’s SYSTEM so much? Why not go supporting Bolton or Stoke?
We used to win in 02/04 and it wasnt put it in.
we used to win?
oh, right! I remember, its just been so long ago!!
Vela signed a long term deal.
I think the entire squad is signed up long-term.
Pool, even though they are in a rut, cannot be underestimated. During their bad run, they have managed to find results for the bigger games in the premiership (Man U and Everton)- And only late goals have screwed them over in the champs league (hope for a late goal for us I guess).
In terms of comparing last seasons squad to this season’s, we must account for the change in Arshavin’s form. I still have hope that he’ll score the 5 goals again (Pool defence has been very suspect- here’s hoping Agger doesn’t play), but realistically, expecting him to replicate that 4 goal performance may be asking for too much.
Torres I think will start. Ngog I believe has picked up a knock and Rafa Benitez likes to play Torres even when he is not 100% (because their backups are really really mediocre). Gerrard hasn’t been at his best but you can never rule him out of driving their team forward and if that happens, we will have a real game on our hands.
We will need to keep Glen Johnson quiet on their right flank. He’s a wingback but provides a big proportion of their creativity. And without a left mid and our first 2 LBs out, the left hand side of our team is going to have to work hard. If Eddie starts up top, then Arshavin’s threat could reduce his attacking runs.
All in all, definitely winable game. Anfield has never been this weak and we should take advantage of it. We’re playing late so we will need to keep up the pace with Chelsea/United or apply pressure if they drop points.
Absolutely no idea what to expect against Liverpool from either team.
You can guarantee that there will be great atmosphere at Anfield, and their supporters will be loud and behind their team, no matter what the scoreboard says… (a big difference compared to the Emirates).
If they have Torres and Gerrard, they are dangerous…
If they don’t, they are mediocre.
No matter which keeper we start, we’re shaky in the net, and could
gift a goal… but if we are clicking on offense, we could score a
hat full of goals.
It is an interesting match-up, becuase it could go any which way but loose!
good points……
Pool worries me more than ManU, City, or Chelsea.
With Torres and Gerrard playing they fear no one. Torres and Gerrard are the teams catalyst and Benayoun and Kuyt benefit the most.
It will be interesting to see who can start for Arsenal.
History tells us that in big four games we never score a hatful of goals independant of the other team’s own scoring exploits. So if we score a hatful expect the other team to score a hatful as well.
If we win this a game, a gigantic IF, then you can guarantee we will falling on our backsides in injury time, DESPERATELY clinging on, in true comedic fashion.
I am going to mention this in tomorrow’s pre-match write up but our line up for the 4-4 draw at Anfield last season was:
Fabianski
Silvestre, Toure, Sagna, Gibbs
Fabregas, Song, Denilson
Arshavin, Bendtner, Denilson
Subs: Walcott for Denilson, Diaby for Nicky B.
By all looks Gallas, Diaby, Traore, Eduardo should be available – though the Physio Room says Dudu and Diaby are doubtful. Wenger said this week Diaby should be available.
So you could argue and rightly so that Gibbs is better than Traore. But Armond has done quite well on his own right. So I think our back four is much improved over last seasons.
Nicky B was invisible against Pool so no loss there. So by all accounts we’ll have pretty much the same squad.
Oh and Fabianksi has come out and asked the boss to put him in the nets against Pool.
Pools line up last year:
Reina,
Arebeola, Aurelio, Agger, Caragher
Mascherano, Alonso, Benayoun, Kuyt
Rierra, Torres
sub: El Zhar for Kuyt
So Gerro should be available for them. The back four is just as suspect as last year and without Alonso they are not creating opportunities at all. Aquilani will not start and likely come on for the last 20-25 minutes. Reina is their only saving grace against us in defense.
Finally, if there is a group of players in a worse mental state then Arsenal ever where = it is this current Liverpool squad.
By the way – we no longer have the honour of having the most players out on injury – that dubious honour now belongs to United.
Really?
Any chance they will stumble against Villa this weekend?
Nip –
I wouldn’t be surprised if Villa drew or won vs United.
Their defense is where most of the injuries are and as good as VDS is he isn’t superman.
Good observation:
Villa has beaten Chelsea, where they specifically utilized their CB’s height on set pieces to score ; ManU is definitely weakened in defense, regardless of who SAF sees duty – O’Neill will seek to exploit.
Good teams… Champions, find a way to win.
I’d love to see them drop points, but I would not be surprised at all to see United find a way to win. They have experienced players, who have won every trophy there is to offer.
They aren’t afraid of Aston Villa… even with injuries.
Maybe we can loan them Silvestre?!
It would be VERY interesting to see them take on Sol Campbell.
By the way, Reina could make a HUGE difference to the game.
He is capable of saving 5/6 shots, while Alumina is capable of not saving the only shot on target.
Let’s pray then that Arsene takes Fabs advice and starts him in net – though keep in mind Fabs was in net against Pool last year and let four in.
But I temper that with a defending corps that had a 50% Toure and Silvestre.
It will be interesting to see if Torres is healthy enough to start. Yesterday was his first game back so I wonder.
If they start without Torres then I like our chances. Provided (and this is the big if) we capitalize on our chances and put Arshavin in the central role again
Good point about Toure and Silvestre being our centre backs. I’d forgotten that.
I think Nasri started upfront……
And lets stop the nonsense talk about how “hard” it is to slot into the “Arsenal system” and how they might look bad. Thats utter bollocks!
No bought player over age 22 has EVER looked bad or failed to slot in very easily. Why? Because our style of play is NOT that special.
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Our “system” may not be that “special”. Only that…. not too many teams are capable of copying it and play it themselves.
Hell, it’s a system not even “Football Manager” be able to sim it into their game engine.
The players Wenger bought had fit into the system seemingly effortlessly, WHY? Because of the system is “easy” to play? Or because Wenger had thought carefully before bringing in the RIGHT players to play in it?
I ‘always’ had the impression that a football manager was like an orchestra conductor, he collected musicians each with their own talent with a specific instrument, and collectively influenced harmony that led to a masterful sound.
Managers have limitations. They can influence ideas for set plays, but once the whistle blows, no one controls match variables. The creative aspect is supplied by the player, his individual talent and IQ and the chemistry that he creates with his teammates & their abilities (& IQ).
When you are building a team, its an experiment, and injuries impact your time table and performance. We have a very young club and many of the younger players we are seeing greater contribution. Gibbs, Traore, Song, Ramsey,
IT IS NOT ARSENE’S VISION TO GO OUT AND BUY THE BIG NAME STAR, yet find a diamond in the rough. This is his style, so accept it.
Too many get distracted in discussing systems and tactics and miss the mark about Arsenal style of play. You place a Cesc, Rosicky, Eduardo, Nasri, Arshavin, Ramsey, & RvP in a mix – you won’t see structure; You will see player movement that is influenced by available space, space that their run will create for a teammate, and defender decisions from these movements. None of this is controlled by the manager! These players have an IQ and technical level that allows Arsenal to dominate ball control vs. any opponent.
Andez is spot on! Arsene does his homework before buying anyone. (yes, there are exceptions)
Read all of the reviews from all the major sports media. The common thread about the match last night, the youngster’s play mirrored that of our first team. What a complement for our club and our manager and a confirmation of Andez’s point.
yes, and the same result as the first team too.
dominating possession doesn’t win matches… Chelsea allowed us (and others) to dominate the ball…
Stag,
finishing is an issue for every club – every club. Finding a natural goal scorer can be similar to searching for the needle in the haystack. Even when you find the player, everyone has off days. I’ve already given you my take for the performances of Theo and Vela. You’re entitled to your opinion.
Eto’o and Messi both blew breakaways in their most recent CL matches. Go figure.
I guess Apoel used the same philosophy (dominating ball possession) in their draw against Chelsea.
Soccer is unpredictable. Even with years of experience, sometimes sh_t happens. Arsene used the Olympiacos to rest his starters and give the youngsters a rare CL experience. They did not disappoint and most comments from every media – there are bright days ahead for Arsenal.
Yet Mr. Ancelotti chose to start a strong squad against Apoel, even though they had their group won. The strategy back fired. The draw raised concerns and an injury to Essien compounded the result.
I don’t agree that because the young players did well in the CL, that equates to bright days ahead for the Arsenal. If we continue to go without hardware, the revolving door of our better players departing will continue.
What exactly would they stay around for, when we are constantly talking about the next group of kids… players in their prime, are NOT interested in waiting around for kids to develop.
That has been the story of Arsenal since Patrick Vieira left, Henry followed, and the big names just keep being sold.
At some point, don’t you actually have to win something?
Hey, no argument from me – at some point you have to win something and yes, players in their prime don’t want to wait.
But some players really don’t care about the team, its all financial – and that might not be an issue under Arsene’s control vs. what other clubs what to shell out.
Stag, I don’t see a revolving door spitting out the better players. Yes, Henry and Vieira left too soon. Freddie, Hleb & Flamini possibly. Over how many years for these 5 players.
Why did Bergkamp stay?
Bergkamp was willing to sign one year contract extensions the others weren’t & at the time that was Arsene’s policy for players over 30.
Arsene understands that there are no guarantees for keeping players. My point: look what ManU went through with Ronaldo. They won the trophys & still lost the player.
So what’s to keep Cesc at Arsenal. If he wants to stay, wonderful. However, if he wants to move home, Arsene isn’t going to lose sleep for a replacement. The club will cash in the $50 to $75 mil on the sale and move Nasri, Ramsey, or Merida into the CM position.
By the way, Olympiacos has been the Greek champion for 12 out of the last 13 seasons. They were no patsy club match for our youngsters.
After watching the replay this afternoon, its obvious we have some real talent nurturing over the next couple of years and as an ARSENAL FAN, we have to be excited about our prospects long – term.
Bergy was a dying breed… he stayed probably because he had no better options, in that the team was LOADED with stars around him… and it wasn’t about the money.
He did not FLY, so it limited where he could go.
Yes, Arsenal will cash Cesc in, make a small fortune, and NOT FUCKING SPEND THE MONEY ON THE TEAM, as usual.
If that’s OK with you, then your just the type of supporter they want.
Personally, I think its time fans stopped showing up, hit the club in the pocket, and maybe they’ll try to win something beside the biggest profit.
I used to go see matches every year, fly over, hotel, etc… at great cost. I will certainly pick my spots, and go less frequently… with the prices they charge for tickets, its criminal not to re-invest the profit in the team.
I like our talented kids, but they aren’t going to win anything without talented experienced players to mesh with.
Managers have limitations. They can influence ideas for set plays, but once the whistle blows, no one controls match variables.
——————–
100% agree with that arsession.
Liverpool have warmed up well for the big game on Sunday.
There won’t be a better chance to beat them at Anfield.
Arsenal’s opponents will come from Inter Milan, Lyon, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, CSKA Moscow and Porto. No clear cut Villareal or Roma. I guess Stuttgart and Porto followed by AC Milan.
I think Arsenal can beat any of those teams IF (and this is a very big IF) Arsene doesn’t play Eboue up front or Denilson/Diaby at all. Each one of those conditions on its own may be unlikely, but I can’t imagine us being lucky enough to avoid all three, ESPECIALLY the Denilson one.
“The kids played about the same as the first team in Greece…
had chances to score… good ones… failed to do so, other team
gets their chance, GOAL.”
I was impressed with what I saw of the Arsenal performance. To play ‘about the same’ as the first team
in CL competition is a credit to our talent pool.
Lets remember, this wasn’t a CC match with 1st division or championship level english club opponent AT THE EMIRATES.
Without Sylvestre – our average age must have been 19 or 20. Considering that Vela and Theo have been
out this fall from extended injuries, no way to expect them to be fluid.
The portions of the internet stream I saw, we were respectable for controlling possession and won our share of the 50/50 tackles. As I indicated above, for me the match was an opportunity to evaluate which players could hold up (execute) under the pressure of the evening.
I will watch the entire match later tonight on the FSC replay.
I didn’t watch the game. But the scoreline was impressive. Esepcially after checking at the teamsheet, Bartley, Gilbert and Thomas Cruise there aren’t even from the Arsenal “B”. More like the “C” side. And this is the “Champions” League afterall!
I watched the match, and the kids did just fine. They held their own, no doubt about it.
A week removed from crucifying Arsenalfor fielding a a youthful Carling Cup side against City the Times writes this:
“An ancient capital witnessed a very modern Arsenal last night, as the youngest starting line-up in Champions League history displayed a maturity far beyond their years but were undone by a single lapse that should not obscure the invention and elegance of much of their play. Rarely can a defeat have inspired such a sense of optimism. ”
Full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article6951070.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=796995
oh! and another keeper scores!
Standard Liege’s keeper scores in OPEN PLAY… deep into extra-time,
with a header… securing 3rd place for the team in the group!
What can Manny do?
Stand on his line and watch shots beat him at the near post.
The kids played about the same as the first team in Greece…
had chances to score… good ones… failed to do so, other team
gets their chance, GOAL.
So we have that to look forward to, when the kids get older!
;)
I am just happy that we didn’t play many of 1st teamers, and the young ones got to play in front of a big CL crowd on the road…
Why is Song playing meaningless games? I hope it doesn’t mean that he’s back down the pecking order behind Denilson, but I wouldn’t doubt it.
“Why is Song playing meaningless games? ”
To maintain his fitness level.
you are delusional. he’s played more than enough games, and why didn’t we play all our starters to get some “momentum” going?
I admit, sometimes I am delusional ‘for Arsenal’ but for my comment above it was based on more than opinion AND it was one of the explanations that Arsene gave for those selected for the traveling squad.
Training sessions PRE-SEASON and during the week lay a fitness foundation, but match fit means playing regularly; regularly is the managers criteria, and for Arsene it appears to be one match a week.
Song played 1st half v. City (Wed); sat out Stoke on Saturday; so Olympiacos was his time to return.
As we had already won our group, the match was meaningless in the CL standings. Arsene had this opportunity to give his starters: Arshavin, Cesc, Vermaelen, Sagna, Traore, Denilson, Nasri a full weeks rest.
We won comfortably at Stoke, so I believe our manager viewed that result sufficient for getting back on track.
I don’t believe any Arsenal fan believes the loss to Olympiacos was devastating for Arsenal morale and confidence?
And lets stop the nonsense talk about how “hard” it is to slot into the “Arsenal system” and how they might look bad. Thats utter bollocks!
No bought player over age 22 has EVER looked bad or failed to slot in very easily. Why? Because our style of play is NOT that special.
There is NOTHING special about being able to pass in triangles when not under pressure against the little boys BUT falling apart when a little pressure is applied.
We have only TWO special players. Fabregas and Arshavin. The rest are just a little above average at best. Some far worse.
So the concept of someone like Carlton Cole, a DM or ANY other person coming in and being not able to cope with our “oh so special, pussyfooting in front of the box and losing” ways is very laughable.
Find competent players, BRING them in. They will slot in very, very, very smoothly.
experienced players… as in, have played in a few big matches, against quality opponents… not 18 and green.
most experienced players could figure out our magical system.
These munchkins need a “big ass striker”!
Judging by this game they need one who can hit the back of the net.
Starting XI
Fabianski, Vela, Walcott, Ramsey Song, Silvestre, Wilshere, Merida, Bartley, Cruise, Gilbert
By the way Gamedaychat is open for the youngsters vs the Gree
ks. http://www.youaremyarsenal.com/gamedaychat
I won’t be in there till the second half – have to pick my son up from school
Agree with Fred on Dzeko. Good player but not that much better than Bendtner. In fact Bendtner seems to have more to his game, even if he is not as refined in a particular role as Dzedko is.
Also for anyone interested this a compilation on Dieumerci Mbokani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VhXJOSh0ho
Good heading the ball – his shots lack some general velocity.
His shot against us sure didn’t lack velocity and probably pops up in Manny’s nightmares…
I know AW won’t buy anyone he doesn’t see a long-term future for, but he sure has been emphasizing the need for somebody who isn’t (CL) cup-tied.
Maybe C. Cole isn’t really hurt and West Ham are just treating him like Senderos so he’s fresh when we buy him in January. ;-)
Great article about the hand shake:
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/darren-lewis/Why-the-abuse-aimed-at-Arsene-Wenger-over-the-handshake-row-shows-that-football-folk-just-can-t-think-for-themselves-article248667.html
Why think when you can just trade blows?
After Tony Pulis, it is Jim Magilton.
Not surprizing. This is same league where managers defended a bone-headed inept player breaking the leg of a skillful player.
I really wish sometimes that all the foreign players and managers leave the EPL, so the English fans & media can treat themselves to all the handshakes and bone crunching tackles in the sexy matchups of Stoke, Blackburn, Bolton, Hull, etc.
I don’t really hear ManU or Chelsea complain about it… mostly Arsene with his anti-football rants, and glass figurines we have for players.
Didn’t have this problem when PV4 was patrolling midfield, because there were consequences.
Would like to take a moment to talk about Tony Pulis.
Remember him supporting Mark Hughes in the “handshake” issue with Arsene?
Now he has gone and done some good old fashioned trading of blows with his own player (James Beattie). But hey, I don’t hear any managers condemning it.
I guess in England, it is fine to engage in violence as long as it is close doors, but out in the open – oh! you must shake hands.
Somehow, I am not surprised anymore at the hypocrisy.
@Mazza,
I am not saying I have anything against Carlton Cole. I just simply pointed out what I afraid is going to happen if he does become an Arsenal player.
As we all known, all players look good to some people until they pull on the Arsenal shirt, criticism would soon raining in.
As for Lennon, same theory. He looks good cos he’s not playing for Arsenal. Period.
As far as I’m concerned, the majority of English players aren’t blessed with a superb tactical awareness with only a few exceptions like Paul Scholes, Teddy Sheringham.
It’s not about Lennon being a great player – more to do with his control ball control, variety on the ball, and overall ability as a wide midfielder. Most(90%) impartial fans would say Lennon is superior to Walcott in that sense.
The only saving grace for Walcott is that he is more of a forward, supposedly anyway, so in a few years time if he plays up front and then scores alot of goals, we can call the comparisons between him and Lennon as wingers unfair, because Lennon undoubtedly would struggle up front as well.
As for…”As we all known, all players look good to some people until they pull on the Arsenal shirt, criticism would soon raining in”, I’m struggling to think of one example of that ever happening. Usually it’s the opposite, we think “what’s Wenger buying this player for?” and the player then goes on to do well.
Agree about Lennon–he is definitely a superior wing player, Spurs looked so slow and crappy without him (and Defoe) when we played them.
But what’s wrong with having an out and out winger? We’ve got none (Eboue, maybe but, in addition to being a clown/loose cannon/serial diver/disgrace, etc., he’s really a fullback and even he tries to face up defenders and run loops into the middle of the field.)
AW stubborness is nowhere more in evidence than in his insistence on buying/developing only central players. His excuse is that it’s easier to teach a new position than teach a player skills/natural ability. That may be true, but with injuries, etc., forcing young inexperienced players to play out of position we will continue to see indecision (bottling of chances) on offense and worse on defense (shipping goals). This is why we need Santa to bring our more experienced players back for the bigger games or I (will continue to) fear for our chances.
Back to the topic at hand….First off, does Santa deliver past x-mas? We get nothing until January no matter what so I can’t get too worked up about all the various names on offer. Plus trying to outguess AW about transfers will get my hair falling out faster than it already is….
That being said, I definitely like C. Cole, and I think Capello would be very wise to bring him to South Africa. Hopefully he can get a run of play before the WC, for his sake (I rather hate the English Nat’l team…) I don’t see us going in for him because of his current injury issues, which is too bad.
While avoiding excessive transfer speculation, I do, however, try to get into AWs head when it comes to on-field strategy and, IMO, the 4-3-3 with RVP up front was an attempt to move defenses around and create space for fast forwards (notably Arshavin and Walcott) to exploit. If the center forward is willing to come all the way to the center line to receive a ball, the CBs marking him have to decide if they’re going to follow or just let him go and stay back. Either way is good for us in that it creates confusion in the back line or it gives us another means for dominating possession. Of course it demands a huge work rate from the center forward and (ideally) his supporters who can also come back and work in a similar manner. I really think AW envisioned Theo being our regular guy on the right (and had more faith in him than Mazza above) and I can only imagine how his pace might’ve scared some opponents and further confused them regarding following RVP. Of course Bendtner started the season in that position and his un-gainly but industrious work out there allowed RVP to do his thing and, even before he (RVP) found his scoring boots, defenses seemed confused and goals were coming from all over. If any single player was a beneficiary it had to be (clueless?) Diaby.
As we know, all of these players are out injured and currently we’re scraping by with (out of form/niggled) Eduardo, (disappointing, can’t-figure-out-how-to-fit-in) Vela and (depressed, but looking better at CF) Arshavin. It’s a huge mess. Hopefully Dudu gets healthy and finds his killer touch, Vela gets a quick goal or two (tonight maybe?) and AA keeps making his magic. Can Bendtner get back before the New Year and look the part? Diaby? Both of those seem like long shots, so we’ll (hopefully/somehow) grind out results here in December and pray for no further injuries.
In January AW needs to find another RVP (–a solid, fairly clinical, CF with a great work rate and ball skills-a “false #9” as I’ve seen them called) or we need to try another formation/approach, most likely with a more static CF (Bendtner or somebody we buy) supported by AA23. As always that leaves some of our center loving players (Nasri, Dudu, Theo, Vela, Diaby, Ramsey, etc., the list goes on and on really….we have no true wingers) on the pitch but wondering how to play their (wider) assigned position.
So Santa….for X-mas just give me 3 points/game, no more injuries and solid returns from our currently hurt players. But if you’re still working in January….I’m sure we’ll be talking.
Even if we got a new striker, and most players back from injury, we’d still have the issue that prohibits us from WINNING anything… DEFENSE.
You don’t win without defending well, and we don’t do that. If Wenger doesn’t address it, its all window dressing… and we can play pretty, but like Newcastle about ten years ago, you aren’t going to be able to beat the good teams 4-3.
Amen
I’ll take the bait here….
One thing I liked about the RVP led 4-3-3 we were playing is that it de-emphasizes our wing backs trying to get to the by-line and swing in crosses, which, of course, makes us very vulnerable to the counter. (Although Sagna actually was starting to find RVP with some crosses, making his offensive game a bit useful–for the first time.)
Defensively we’ve got to pray for no further injuries and for Almunia to find a bit of form (has he actually made a save that a journeyman keeper couldn’t?) or for him to catch another cold and get Fabianski in to take his chances. I’d love to be proven wrong, but the odds of us buying a keeper in January are less than zero, and a back-up CB or DM, not a whole lot better. I’m looking forward today to seeing Bartley and TopGun (Cruise) (as well as Fabs in goal) and hoping it’s not a goal fest for the Greeks. Of course, we’ve got Silvestre in there to anchor things. ;-) Are ManU perhaps actually missing him with all their injuries?
HTS –
goal keeping – feel the same way!
Saw the same progress from Sagna’s crosses & Traore’s – but we rarely had players in the box, at the receiving end: so what’s the point.
Secondly, none of these outside players ever stayed in the flank channel. This group of players just morph into a 4-1 -5- 0. Kinda like musical chairs!
your point:
“an attempt to move defenses around and create space for fast forwards (notably Arshavin and Walcott) to exploit. If the center forward is willing to come all the way to the center line to receive a ball, the CBs marking him have to decide if they’re going to follow or just let him go and stay back. Either way is good for us in that it creates confusion in the back line or it gives us another means for dominating possession.”
I believe this has been Wenger’s objective – as the nucleus of our club (RvP, Arshavin, Nasri, Cesc, Rosicky, Eduardo, Ramsey, Vela, Bendtner, Wilshere ) all have the confidence to take no prisoners and be unpredictable in movement.
This was the article that got me going along these lines earlier in the Fall and made me feel that losing RVP was gonna be tough on us. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/oct/27/the-question-false-nines-jonathan-wilson
It’s a pretty good read, I think. And your point way up above about playing a system that suits the available players continues to resonate….
Completely disagree on Walcott. He just has poor IQ and that would show regardless of what team he plays for. It shows time and time again for England, whereas the likes of Lennon do not look out of place. Walcott is just is a very flawed player when it comes to pass and move and nothing has changed on that score since I called him out on it when he first joined. His lack of intelligence was even noticeable when he played with the under 21’s in the summer, hence why he got dropped at the start and did barely zilch the whole tournament.
I would go for Carlton Cole as well. He’s alot more physically leaner and fitter than Ade and you wouldn’t get the same lazy performances, but there would be a doubt as to whether he would go into his shell like he did at Chelsea. I would go for him anyway, he seems very driven these days and dedicated to the sport, which he admits he wasn’t in his earlier days.
For me, Theo hasn’t played sufficiently with our 1st team regulars, other than an addition at the 80 th minute – to really evaluate a player, you need to see his play regularly – as a starter. 10 + matches. it takes that long to build understanding with supporting teammates.
At 20, I’m not ready to write him off – as last 2 seasons, frequent interruptions from injuries; and I have seen his movement off the ball (especially in the middle area) to be smart.
Agree on Cole.
Nah, he’s played enough for me to size up his game. No matter how much he improves, that will always be an ingrained flaw that will come out in pressure situations, as Joshuad has said as well in the past.
There’s alot of pretentiousess when it comes to our style of footbsll, as if it’s not some sort of alien form of football that only a select few can play. Not true at all imo, hence why players like Hleb and Rosicky looked like stars in the past when they are 2nd tier players.
Using our level of football is no excuse for Walcott’s failings imo.
I think you’re saying that Theo’s a bottler (and we can add him to the list: Diaby, Denilson, Song, Eboue, who am I forgetting…), which I sort of need to agree with. Or maybe he’s just a crock, so he’ll never get the run of games needed to show he’s got a little poise with the ball. (He has however led a couple of nice counterattacks at Anfield, as I recall, so it might be nice if he were available for that match.) To me it seems like he comes in, scares people with his pace, and now and again gets a lucky (often meaningless) goal. Lately, as a “super-sub” he seems to bungle numerous chances, killing us when we need him most. And, so far, he doesn’t have the body, nor the savvy to avoid getting hurt. Nobody’s gonna pay what we’d want for him at this point, so it’s probably better to learn to love him….
The 2nd point I don’t quite get…Hleb & Rosicky might not be players to build a team around (though both are Nat’l team captains) but they seem to add A LOT if they’re freed up to operate offensively in space, we just need sufficient physicality elsewhere on the pitch for that to happen and we haven’t had it, maybe since PV4, which is maybe what you think AW needs to sort out. Maybe?
Perfect example of Theo’s lack of vision was shown against Chelsea in the second half. He zips down the flank, Thomas Vermaelan is at the edge of it free screaming for a pass, and I’m waiting for Walcott to show he’s learned and can pick out a pass amidst the helter skelter, but no, he brainlessly drills the ball straight to a Chelsea defender at the near post. Little things like that tell alot.
Hleb and Rosicky are suited to Arsene’s style but they are not top, top, class. By that I mean there are plenty in europe with their ability and type that could come in and put in similar level of performances, ability wise. Of course, they may have attitude issues or fitness problems which would scupper deals, or price range of course, but the point is there are lots of players who could do way better than Theo in terms of awareness and vision. it’s more to do with Walcott’s lack of class than our style being so unique.
Hleb is history, and Rosicky is made of glass.
At least Theo is 20, and will have the chance to improve, and grow physically and mentally. At the very least, we could sell Theo off, (but Wenger wouldn’t admit that failure)… I would imagine there would be at least a few suitors for Theo.
Rosicky, would be like trying to sell a broken tea cup.
I don’t think Cole was bad at Chelsea. It was a long time ago and he was just coming through and showing a fair bit of promise. I’m not really sure why they let him go. If I’m not mistaken, it was because Roman had just come in and developing a player seemed stupid when you can go out and buy s superstar like Shevchenko (or Crespo/Mutu if that doesn’t work out).
Started off well at Chelsea but faded away. Attittude seemed to be the root cause though, which has been corrected.
As most have noted, Arsenal depth is suspect, especially at specific positions. There is constant
reference to our chasing and purchasing youngsters, where the money and roster occupancy
might better serve signing more experience that can immediately impact 1st team needs.
I agree, the scale of balance for both goals seems to be tipped to the youth investment.
Tonight’s CL match, will be an even greater recruiting tool for Arsene. Most of these kids never expected
to be playing in a CL competition at this stage of their career – NOR DID ARSENE AND ARSENAL FANS.
I don’t expect a victory, but there is enough talent to show promise; most importantly observe which players can handle the pressure of the evening.
Fine point here, AS, and ideally we can enjoy it as fans, since the outcome matters only to Std. Liege….And as you asked above, I have no idea in hell what Ancelloti was thinking with his CL line-up…probably something about getting back on track and giving the home fans what they pay for….
And yes, big back-fire. He needs to talk to Stag….
Also, Aquilani is to start ‘Pools meaningless match tonight. If he comes through, he’ll prolly be a sub in our (huge) match at Anfield.
I love that he played starters in a meaningless match, and might have gotten Essien injured.
Maybe if there is a chink in the Chelsea armor, its the manager.
Momentum = your next goal…
A loss in the CL has zero to do with league matches for the most part… differnt style of play, different format, different referees… different opponents.
lennon – swp – theo are identical triplets as to their playing strengths and weaknesses.
Andez good points about their tactical IQ’s; not sure about Theo’s future at Arsenal. Where his strength and pace carried him through the youth levels, when compared to teammates his technical level is sub par. I believe his movement without the ball is okay.
All this said, Theo has endured a string of injuries for the past 18 months that has limited his match development.
He definitely is the type of player that can create havoc for the opponent; which sets him apart from most of our other players.
I have decided to reclassify Mr. Walcott. Forget that he’s been with the club for 10 years, and view his presence as a new arrival (signing) who will make a major impact for Arsenal for the balance of the season.
I voted for Cole in the striker poll on the home page, b/c I like him the best of all the names on there… but I didn’t realize until after I voted that “Keeper” was an option, all the way at the bottom. I should have voted for that. Ah well, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up with neither.
As for Carlton Cole, I like the potential he shows, he got the physical presence no doubt.
But I afraid he may be more like a Darren Bent type of player – impressive playing for a smaller side. A big question mark for a big club where the pressure is hugh.
Important thing is – we are an extremely intelligent attacking side. Anyone who has a slightly inferior football mind would easily get found out.
Take Theo Walcott, why everyone says he lack of football IQ? Cos every Arsenal player around him are on a different level. If you put Theo in a different club say Spurs, you probably wouldn’t notice the difference of his football IQ from his teammates.
Likewise, Aaron Lennon looks impressive playing for Spurs, but if you play him at Arsenal, before long you would have noticed in terms of football IQ, he’s no difference from Walcott.
That’s my fear of Carlton Cole. Bare in mind most people had called Adebayor a brainless player up front at the past. Carlton Cole hasn’t even reached Adebayor’s level, very much a poor man’s Adebayor.
I afraid if we buy a player like Cole, before long he would be getting the same criticism as Adebayor in terms of his performance on the pitch.
Andez, I understand what you are trying to say, but do we NOT try and bring in a striker because he might not work out?
Now we are afraid to make a move for fear of failure?
DAG, you forgot one important striker who will most likely be the new signing in January..
http://tinyurl.com/ycsjpyc
Sorry, I couldn’t resist :)
I used the picture of Cole vs Clichy specifically to demonstrate his size.
Right now the knock on Cole is his injury and varying reports as to when he will return. I’ve seen some say December, January or even as late as April. Dunno what the truth is there.
Chamakh I am ruling out for January simply because he will be free and if Arsene really wants him – he’ll sign him then.
I really like Cardozo and for your viewing pleasure:
OSCAR CARDOZO HD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQT5t5P9ryI
This guys PKs are rockets. His FKs watch the curl. He would tower over Drogba.
But if I can’t have him, I’ll take Cole.
I am really curious how we will play if we sign a new striker (assume Dzeko for the sake of argument). Arshavin is a guaranteed starter. So will Dzeko. Now we need to fit in Bendtner, Nasri, Eduardo, Rosicky, Vela and Walcott into one other position? Granted, two of the last four are injured at any point in time, but still the numbers don’t add up. And no, Arsene will not play Nasri or Rosicky in CM because it will kill Denilson and Diaby (I am serious).
If we had some flexible players, we could have shifted back to 4-4-2 with Arsh playing off Bendtner/Eduardo and two of Nasri/Rosicky/Vela/Walcott on the wings. I would much rather we adopt this approach and spend our money on buying a decent goalkeeper who can actually reduce the number of goals we are conceding. Cause let’s face it, irrespective of which striker we sign, if we continue to concede goals at the current rate, we are not winning anything.
Nip,
Your reasons make too much sense to be posted here. Ah, the idea of using a system that fits your players – how novel.
HOWEVER:
Now other posters (if they were Arsenal manager), would argue there will be room for a new striker (& more) as Rosicky, Eduardo, Diaby, Denilson, Eboue, Clichy, and Theo are dead weight and would thus implement a ‘fire sale’ in January.
I’m sure many in this group are not parents, for after a few stained pampers, the expected reaction would be to replace the kid.
If you bring in a player that is BETTER than what you have, then there will be ZERO issue with finding him playing time.
Would we have a problem if Messi or Ronaldo came to the club? I think they’d find a spot for them.
You don’t TRULY know if a player “fits” your system, until they play or at least practice in it.
That can’t prohibit you from trying to improve your team.
I’d go for a keeper / defensive player AND a striker… I don’t give a shit about what it would do to the current players, who are NOT getting it done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvYOA4BXIqk
I don’t know if u guys have watched that clip yet. But check it out. It’s a miss which was hundred times more difficult to miss than score! The miss of the century by miles!
Rocky Baptiste is our next big signing I bet
!!!
His goal was impressive though! lol
Hmm…He scores a beautiful goal but fails to find the target when trying to walk the ball into the net. Him and Arsenal are a match made in heaven :)
Finally, Tom Cruise is going to make his Arsenal debut. Will he has what it takes to become a Top Gun?! :)
Glad I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t resist when I saw his name..
Interesting results in the CL. Bayern beat Juve in Italy. ManU beat Wolfsburg in Germany with only one defender in the side!! And not some meaningless game, but one which Wolfsburg needed to win (and are now out of the CL). Maybe there is something to learn from that game. If your defence is decimated, then rely on your attack. Arsenal need to do the vice versa. :(
Its probably the Liege guy as most assume … but I dont understand why Wenger would go for another African oaf (ANC woes and all) when he would be cup tied for the CL.
I dont understand the talks about Dzeko. He is a CLONE of Bendtner. Seriously, there is zero difference.
For me the ONLY option is Carlton Cole. Eligible for CL, NO time wasted adapting to Premiership. Plus he would be extremely motivated to bang in the goals.
If he comes to Arsenal and sparkles, he goes to the WC as a STARTER beside Rooney. It is as simple as that. That is BIG motivation, not only for him to come here but for him to play well if he comes.
He is athletically dynamic, solid passing and laying off, and faster than any of our current strikers bar Walcott. Placed in front of Fabregas he would get chances by the dozen.
The only issue would be the price. But if he can make up his mind and force the issue maybe it could happen.
agree –
but we all know that our manager likes the role of magician, complete deception with his player moves.
most of us did not see the signing of Nasri, Sagna, Eduardo, and Vermaelen! (even to an extent with Arshavin)
Whatever we paid for Arshavin most would agree he’s been worth every penny. Ditto for ALL the others. If we have to shell out the big bucks for a new attacker, I’m expecting the same caliber of talent!
I like surprises!
I don’t like surprises when the surprise is either NO signing, or someone we never heard of that is 17, and needs 2 years to adapt to the league and the level of competition. That gives us zero lift and life that we need in January.
Very true on Cole… not cup-tied, is a big piece to the puzzle as well.
Arshavin had been linked to Arsenal repeatedly. (and other teams as well), so it was not out of the blue.
Same as Nasri.. Rumors started shortly after the Hatem Ben Arfa rumours if i remember correctly.. So may be a bit of hope yet for Carlton Cole
Good Santa letter and write up, DAG. Love the photos, esp. C. Cole vs tiny Clichy….
Of all the choices I think I would stump for Carlton Cole since he wouldn’t have to adapt to the league and fits the big and powerful nature of the request. Dzeko would be second but his heart is set on Milan. Chamakh does nothing that makes me think he would be a great fit. Mazza is probably right though, and it will be the guy from Standard Liege. Seems like the type of under the radar player that Wenger so often goes for.
Bayern go a goal down and then score four in Turino to get through in the the CL at the expense of Juventus….impressive.
Chelsea play many of their first 11 in a meaningless game and lose Essien to a hamstring injury and draw the game….hmm…
ManU go top of their group as Owen gets a hat trick in Germany to only one by Dzeko. Their defense is a banged up as our front line…
Interesting stuff. Hopefully our youngsters can get a couple past that grey haired keeper tomorrow while Liverpool have to play a meaningless game against Fiorentina. Too bad for them….
HTS – don’t you view Ancelotti’s decision to start a strong lineup in a meaningless match, HIS PERCEPTION that regaining momentum (and team confidence) from the City match.
as it turns out, the draw for Chelsea extends doubts……especially in their invincible defense.
Wow!
A German goalkeeper just took a penalty and SCORED!
Maybe we can get him!
He can be our new number one, AND take our penalties, as we know
Cesc shouldn’t be taking them, who else will?!
Let Eboue take them. I don’t think he has any idea what he’s going to do with the ball half the time so how would a keeper be able to guess his tendancies?
LOL
Eboue would miss the net 75% of the time.
He SUCKS.
;)
Well, that’s the joke I was trying to make.
Hmm..A german keeper scoring from the penalty spot. Sounds similar to someone Arsenal once had eons ago :)
Of the names you mentioned, I’d take Dzeko…
I’d also like Santa to bring in a keeper as well, and why not Patrick Vieira and Theirry Henry for old times sake!
;)
Hell, is Ray Parlour available? At least he’d play with a bit of passion.
We had a big ass striker the last 3 seasons. He turned out to be a big “ass”. (and I say that
endearingly)
My holiday gift: finding #1 goal keeper and move on past the Almunia experiment.
Next (as I’m self-centered) for the tooth fairy to leave Arsenal another CB with some physical presence
and ditto for DM.
I’m very content with our midfield and attack options. For all the injuries, bad feng shui on the stadium design is as good a reason (as a injury source) as any mentioned in earlier posts!
Bet it’s the Standard Liege player.
Adriano is a head-case. That’s why he is back playing in Brazil at the prime age of 27 and not at a top European club.
True he is a head-case.. It would be a gamble for that very reason.
I’ve read a couple of opinions around about Adriano. What is everyone heres opinion on him?
He is a beast on top form and were he able to replicate it for anyone they would have a monster asset on their hands. He is available on a free I think. 6ft 3, has the physicality to play in the premiership, the skillset of a Brazilian.
Interesting option. I wouldn’t be disappointed were he to end up here.
On the note of Brazilians, was anyone else aware that we missed out on Ronaldinho pre-PSG for 4-5 million due to some dodgy work permit/passport issues? That kinda sucks…
Also did mention Van Nistleroy since Arsene has told John Cross in the mirror that he couldn’t get past, past history with him.
Nor did I include Roman Pavlyuchenko who was linked with Arsenal this morning by his Agent.