Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 33,188
Yep, his movement on the shoulder of their last defender isn't particularly good or regular, he drops into the gap between the defenders and midfielders to try and influence play, just so happened there wasn't a gap between their defence and midfield for 90% of last nights game so he had no joy. Also causes a bit of a problem as there isn't enough of a central attacking threat when Bendtner is messing about in positions you don't want your CF in.
His movement off the defenders is FANTASTIC, any game the team is playing well and passing the ball to him he's constantly moving.
However, I'd describe him as an early runner, he makes a run across the defenders will Cesc is crossing the half way line, he makes those runs very well. THe problem is you need two strikers, or you've got two defenders standing on your striker.
Ipswich CB's worked hard, if Bendtner moved left, both stuck within 2 metres either side of him, he was completely marked out of the game and given no service.
THe best pass of the game for two games has come from Bendtner, he made a small run away from goal, picked up the ball and laid a completely perfect ball behind the defence that Cesc ran on to, I can't comprehend why Cesc wouldn't shoot as he was through on goal, instead he held it up and passed poorly across goal.
It took fully, 50 minutes of the game for Bendtner to start dropping deep looking for the ball, as soon as he dropped deeper people started passing to him, and he didn't waste it much. Arsenal have become a 20 minute team, it goes well for 20 minutes, if they don't get the goal, they all get rubbish. If we're playing badly Cesc stops making the same passes , strikers stop making the same runs, wingers stop making runs, we shut down almost. How many runs double man marked to nowhere should Bendtner have continued to make when no one was giving him the ball.
Chamakh, Bendtner, RVP have had zero service for 5-6 games, no matter who starts. RVP has had a few games were almost every pass has been embarassingly poor, Bendtner with his few touches has played in Cesc with a perfect pass, and Theo with a perfect pass that resulted in a penalty, Chamakh hasn't done anything for 10 games.
Its classic, striker has zero service is completely and utterly isolated and Wenger changes the striker rather than those who have the ball all game long and did smeg all. Cesc was having, for him, one of the worst games of his career, then by being left on we created little more and he missed a complete sitter, when someone is playing THAT badly its better to call it a day and minimise any damage to confidence he'd possibly get.
THe one other great chance of the game, the Cesc sitter, Chamakh made a move to the near post as with Bendtner both CB's were all over him in the box, Chamakh had no chance to do anything but Cesc actually got in the box. Striker drags defender off, someone else hits the space, its not rocket science, its been bog standard attack play for 100 years.
if you play 4-5-1 and the CB's are at all decent and just stick to the strikers shoulders all game, your striker won't be in the game, simple as that.
Bendtner when actually given the ball has created a penalty and a couple great chances, and was it in the champs league he was dropping deep, picking up the ball and playing perfect passes in behind for Theo, who smegged up almost every cross.
4-4-2 Wenger, you're got an entire squad built for over a decade to play 4-4-2, you've got a billion strikers, no wingers, stop playing 4-5-1.