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Home›General›And it’s ARSENAL – the craziest team Gooners have ever seen

And it’s ARSENAL – the craziest team Gooners have ever seen

By Michael Price
February 4, 2013
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Fickle lot aren’t we? Who you ask? Gooners, of course. Funny, how general opinion changed between last week and the minute that the Transfer Window closed.  Surely something massive must have happened to change opinions so drastically? Did we sign someone? Yes!   A superstar? Not exactly.  Who then? Oh a left back to replace an injured Kieran Gibbs (and not leave us with Andre Santos).  Oh…

I don’t blame anyone if you think I am mad or that this is shall we say over expressive. Well, that was exactly where I wanted to take you. How can I keep you reading if I weren’t so expressive?

I call that the Arsenal effect.

It’s simple theory really: when Arsenal loses we are never far from a mass revolt. Pitch forks and torches, crowds storming the barricades and screaming for Wenger to marched out and executed on madame Guillotine. Chants of , “Wenger out,” “Gervinho screw you,” (even if he is not playing) and “it is Ramsey’s fault.” Oh how could I forget “Spend some goddamn cash to buy half of the players in the world.” But that is quickly countered when Arsenal win or do something “right” suddenly “we have the best squad in the entire league,” “our team has all the necessary qualities to win the championship,” and of course  this old favorite “Wenger knows best.”

Oy would it hurt for a little balance? Some sanity and rational thought amongst the extremes of madness?

I mean you’d have to be blind to think everything is perfect at Arsenal. There are a fair amount of problems actually. But I reckon three quarters of the players are good enough to play for Arsenal. Well here is another problem: what does “to play for Arsenal” mean? 4th place? Cups challenger? Or are we really chasing a serious title? Anyway, let’s get back to the present squad. I was really expecting Wenger to spend some cash. This transfer window looked a bit too calm for Arsenal; normally around 250 players are linked. Although there were positive signs: Wenger looked eager to reinforce the squad [actually he changed opinion fairly often on that subject], we heard about a big offer in preparation and some games looked so critical we had to do something, surely.

In fact Arsenal [only] signed one player: Natxo (Nacho) Monreal. There was a tinge of overoptimism about him and about the move and I have two problems with that –  first, do half of the fans even know him before the link to Arsenal? Did they know more about him because of YouTube or the snippets on twitter? Fair enough if you do. But I have my doubts. Secondly, if we think a bit, Arsenal likely only bought him because of the injury to Gibbs. You can ascertain for yourself what that really means but if not – had nothing happened to Gibbs whilst he sprinted to catch the ball,  it’s fairly likely Monreal would still be a Malaga player.

Now don’t get me wrong, Monreal is a solid player. I’ve personally seen him a few times.  I certainly think he’ll do well at Arsenal and his understanding of play with the likes of Cazorla will certainly benefit him, Cazorla and by extension Arsenal. He is also more experienced than Gibbs and it will be a good thing for both of them to be in competition vying for that LB spot. Finally, his experience brings a certain maturity with him to the spot and when Arsenal were pressing on Saturday without any luck he was calm, he was collected and made smart decisions with the ball and in defense.

As to whether or not we were really looking to bring someone else in? I have my doubts here as well. I’d like to think so,  especially at first when Wenger hinted he had “work to do.” Butas the window started to wind down I personally began to lose confidence in us doing any deals.  I never believed in the David Villa fuss.  He seems too expensive, too risky, too hard to move our asses to get a a deal done and his wage requirements likely exceeded Arsenal’s socialist wage structure.

There were also a lot of rumblings around Florian Thauvin. A promising midfielder plying his trade at Bastia, there were heavy links to Arsenal. In the end he  decided to join Lille. With all due respect to Lille, if Arsenal were really in for him, they likely could’ve paid him way more than the French club. So you have to ask yourselves, were we ever really in the hunt?  And then there was West Ham’s Diamé? He had a 3.5M release clause. I still can’t understand why we didn’t go for him,  especially if all our other plans had broken down.  Adding him to our midfield could’ve partly resolved some of our problems in midfield. I firmly believe we lack some grit in the midfield – regardless of the showing verus Stoke. Wenger freaked me out when he said Ramsey “fitted the role perfectly” [the DM role] and that he “could do the job perfectly”. Wow! Arteta, a markedly more consistent player then Ramsey  doesn’t even handle  the DM perfectly.  Does Wenger really think Ramsey, a more offensive player than Arteta or Diame would?

Okay he did well in two games but to think of him as our deeper lying, more defensive  midfielder is madness.  It worked out in the lasyt three games, but surely some of that has to be down to the oppositon and their lack of organization or creativity in the midfield.  What happens when we play a stronger midfield combination with him in there?  Ramsey is also benfitting from his partnership with Jack Wilshere who is doing an outstanding job covering the Weslhman.  Maybe my “freak out” will subside as  Diaby and Arteta are back in the fold.  So we can go back to the “routine” with all its benefits and drawbacks.

If I have to summarize my rant, it’s that I feel strongly that we need first and foremost a true DM – one who likes to do nothing but sit back and provide cover to the back four. In addition to that, we need another striker – for all the reasons you know about.  Giroud is building up confidence and has been scoring a fair amount of goals recently. Podolski is getting better and better but leaves me wanting more in terms of his success in open play situations despite his numerous assists.  Then there is Theo who seems to be back on the right track.  However, even with the success of these three forward we have not one other option to change it up if we need to. Chamberlain still hasn’t reached the stage of consistent strenght to strength performances. And that is becoming a real problem. He’s still is young and there is time to improve but he right now he is not someone I think you can rely on game to game. You can’t deny his talent and work rate he just needs to have more end product as a result of that. Let’s not even touch on Gervinho shall we?

Arsenal and Wenger are having a difficult season, probably the most difficult one since the Frenchman took control of the team. The question being asked, given the bi-polar attitude and approach to not only this season but the transfer window is – is Wenger still the man for the job? Many of the fans are starting to wonder – and I include myself in that group. And opinions vary jumping from “Wenger out” to “Wenger in”. Wenger’s obvious flaws have been had a light shown brightly upong them this season –  tactically he isn’t at his best, his team set ups he don’t  always work and when they don’t he doesn’t seem to have the means or ability to change them. You really wonder does he go over his set up prior to games? Do his players know their roles? On the evidence, not always.  And why is that? Do they not understand their role? Are they lazy? Not good enough? Maybe its a mixture of them all.

I try and so should all Gooners and recall what Wenger has done for Arsenal. His tenure at Arsenal has to be taken in the context of everything – success and failures.  Criticism is warranted when it’s warranted but praise should be as well. I am criticial of his approach to this Window. But I also see that the 3 players he brought in this summer have been quality signings and I also see he has gotten a core of young and talented British players to commit to Arsenal.

I get that there are things not to like about Wenger. About this team and about this hierarchy. I spent half the piece ranting about some of the stuff I didn’t like. But I also look back and I see some promise in the squad and look at the rest of the teams around us and know some of the problems aren’t individual to Arsenal and are part of a larger league wide issue.  But Arsenal is obvious are focus and with our addiction to Arsenal comes taking the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly and being as sanely rational as an addict can be.

 

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14 comments

  1. Howard 5 February, 2013 at 21:51 Log in to Reply

    This is a typical, trite, doom-and-gloom blogpost. There’s no denying that this year has been a disappointment. We have underperformed and we might pay dearly for that come May. But let us not forget, this squad is still relatively new. With a summer transfer window where we can reasonably expect to not lose a big name (part from possibly Sagna) and bring in some more fresh faces, this squad will be stronger next year and capable of challenging for a title. This season has been a waste and we, as Arsenal supporters, should not accept seasons like this, but the Wenger Out cries are misguided. He has given this club more consistency and sustainability than any other manager, part from Herbert Chapman. Wenger is still revered by other managers in the game and is still a top quality manager. The difference is, other clubs caught on to what he was doing when he first came to Arsenal and now the playing field is level, if not even stacked against us with the new big spenders. Would I be heartbroken if Wenger stepped down and we hired a new manager? Not overly, but that depends on who we hire. IMO, if it isn’t Moyes or Klopp or Stojkovic, it’s a downgrade. Bottom line, we have a club to support. Do it. COYG.

    • Caribkid 6 February, 2013 at 05:03 Log in to Reply

      “But let us not forget, this squad is still relatively new.”

      Therein lies the problem Howard, we have been saying the same thing for 7 years as we have seen an exodus of players consistently and therefore lack of cohesiveness or continuity. The only continuity we have seen is diminishing defense and a widening in the gap between us and the “bigger’ boys.

      Selling our major stars to contenders, replacing them with inferior quality, under-performing based on our wages spent and income earned, and our transfer fiasco of the previous season shows no sign of progress.

      If it takes 7 years of rebuilding and the following statement, “But let us not forget, this squad is still relatively new.”, we have deep rooted organizational problems and it’s not just limited to the manager.

      Personally, I would never boo my players and and still love my team, but, I am not blind to their weaknesses and the bungling bureaucracy which has infiltrated the high echolons of management.

    • vibe4arsenal 6 February, 2013 at 16:39 Log in to Reply

      “…this squad will be stronger next year and capable of challenging for a title…”

      Been saying this for 7 years, too. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat the same cliches.

  2. gooner-girl 5 February, 2013 at 05:47 Log in to Reply

    The only thing we as supporters can do is support the team .. or not.

    Given that they don’t seem to benefit significantly from the so-called ‘home advantage’ and that wenger has said they are nervous playing at home, I suggest we try a little harder to make our support obvious to the players in front of us.

    Last Saturday, the vast majority of Gooners present put all they had into cheering and chanting the boys on with only a few sullen tight-lipped people dotted around. It wasn’t nice sitting next to one though as he bemoaned every failed pass and near miss from our strikers. Our successes seemed to pass him by.

    I like to think our noisy support encouraged the players to achieve a difficult win – no sign of the handbrake.

    New guy was good… hope he never loses his confidence.

    Stand up for the Arsenal.

  3. allan1340 4 February, 2013 at 22:05 Log in to Reply

    I am for change in Arsenal and Wenger is on my wish list. But obviously it mean nothing what we think or wish which is very strenge for me as a fan, of course i do not mean that every time we ask for something they do that but the problem is they do not have respect for fans and play games with us. I am not convince about this squad. but i still wish my best for our team and hope we can finish in top 3 even is BIG CHALLENGE and very difficult, and at same time i hope he will bring some really top player to challenge top flight teams and be able to win something, 3th or 4th place is not something that we can be proud of this is good for team like Tottyfruty or Evrno but we are Arsenal with tradition to win things. Let us hope for the best and back to glorious days. GOOD LUCK FOR ALL GUNNERS AND ARSENAL

  4. John 4 February, 2013 at 21:55 Log in to Reply

    Whingeing, moaning, bla bla, I know so much about football, bla bla whingeing moaning. SUPPORT THE TEAM!! F.cking moaning minies!

    • stag133 5 February, 2013 at 00:26 Log in to Reply

      yes. like John says. don’t dare say anything bad about the club. ever. regardless of them selling our best players every year for massive profits… and having the highest ticket prices in Europe.
      BUY A SCARF! GET A FEW KITS!! what kind of supporters are you?
      Wenger has coached for 30 years, so no matter what he says or does, he knows everything and we know nothing.
      Don’t speak. Just buy tickets, and merchandise, and lots of concessions.

      you moaning minies.

  5. TomNW5 4 February, 2013 at 21:52 Log in to Reply

    I appreciate your balanced take on things, a rare quality in AFC blogs at present, and largely agree.
    I think the team is pretty good and getting better. A couple of quality reinforcements would aways be welcome. Perhaps in the summer…
    In my opinion the on field problems can put down almost entirely to nerves/confidence. The team just seems mentally tight sometimes. Especially at the start of matches. As if they are afraid to make a mistake. They tend to tarry on the ball, take too many touches and the tempo is slow. When the inhibitions melt away, things start to click, the tempo increases, they start playing one touch and look very dangerous.
    I know Wenger recognizes this – the famous handbrake.
    It’s hard to fix. It’s organic and needs to be worked out through the group. Often a a couple of good performances can restore things but really it only sets up in a positive way when the team has fully gelled.
    The team is very new so I’m highly optimistic that thing will improve. We’ve already seen glimpses of some real Arsenal football this season and I expect more.
    I didn’t know much about Monreal before his signing but his credentials seem strong and he looked pretty assured on his debut. A very astute buy perhaps.
    I still have a lot of faith in Wenger. He is well on his way to building his fourth team and this one seems like it will have the right blend of youth and experience whilst sticking to the beautiful, powerful, free flowing style we are famous for.
    I think it’s perfectly valid to question the manager, it is after all the bread and butter of football banter. I do have a problem with the tone of some of the negative rhetoric aimed at AW by some Arsenal supporters recently. It’s so violent and unreasonable and largely based on supposition and gossip. I’ve heard so-called Gooners say they hope the team loses which is so wrong.
    One can’t help think that that kind of negativity focused on our club may feel felt by it and could be contributing to the problem of nerves.
    Thankfully the haters are a small minority. Most Gooners are smarter and realize it’s a subtle and difficult game. They know AW is one of the best and is a true Arsenal man. He can be questioned, of course, but ought to be shown respect.

  6. Michael Fournier 4 February, 2013 at 21:36 Log in to Reply

    “But I also look back and I see some promise in the squad and look at the rest of the teams around us and know some of the problems aren’t individual to Arsenal and are part of a larger league wide issue.”

    Truer words could not be said.
    I also in the past few weeks have been looking around the EPL and was thinking in spite if the Money Man City have spent and Chelsea I am having a hard time putting my finger on any one player (excluding maybe RVP) that stands out in the EPL as a player on the Henry, Bergkamp Ronaldo level of excellence.

    In Defensive midfield there is Yaya Toure who is a very good Player in the Vieira mold for City. and ManU have some decent players but if there is so much new talent why would Paul Scholes be brought back last year. maybe because Michael Carrick is not of the same quality. as the aging Scholes or Giggs? and Rooney? well he maybe the best froward England has (or maybe not) Then at liverpool they have brought in some talent with Daniel Sturridge but it was strike form good old Steven Gerrard if not for a blunder by Reina would have won them the game .vs City. of course City has some quality but I wonder are they really as good as say the 03-04 Arsenal squad? Or even the league cup double teams. I really think it is NOT just arsenal that is not s good as the EPL teams of the late 90s and early 2000s no I thin the EPL is missing those truly big stars from then. at all teams. Ether they are aging or were sold to Spain and other leagues.

    I just do not think the Current ManU squad that is almost 10 clear of second place City is as good as the ManU 1999 squad. Or even as good as the manU side that lost to Arsenal when Arsenal clinched the Double at Old Trafford. Maybe it is nostalgic but I really think the EPL teams are not attracting the very cream of football even with the big spending clubs, I hope is just a short term cycle but please someone point out the players that prove me wrong. Who is that EPL star of stars that will join the ranks of the all time greats?

    • naked goon 5 February, 2013 at 05:40 Log in to Reply

      Agreed, I think we can look at this seasons Champions League efforts from the English clubs so far to see how we measure up. Two out already, only the old dogs Arsenal and Man Utd left.

  7. EIE 4 February, 2013 at 21:00 Log in to Reply

    Wenger Out!

  8. jay 4 February, 2013 at 20:21 Log in to Reply

    In one word inconsistency.On a good day we can beat anyone.on a bad one we could lose to the Dog And Duck.I cant get my head around the way our form fluctuates from minute to minute let alone game to game.We have Players who are excellent in their own right ,but need a coach that can iron out the problems.

  9. The Cabbie 4 February, 2013 at 20:16 Log in to Reply

    On 1st Jan I wrote AW will tell us all about the players he tried to buy but did not happen

    • Caribkid 6 February, 2013 at 05:08 Log in to Reply

      Amen

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