English League Football [6th - 10th Feb 2010] **spoilers**
- Thread starter red11
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Things could be very interesting for Liverpool if they get a result against Arsenal on Wednesday. It still shows the evident gap between the top 4 and everyone else, when the likes of Spurs, City and Villa who are all having excellent seasons find themselves on par with a Liverpool who have had their worst season in an absolute age.
Soldato
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I think its going to be a tough fight to get 3rd. At least we have finished with the top four after the liverpool game. Maybe get some form and hopefully pull of a shock result in the CL.
But in truth unlike the past when I didnt actually fear any of the big teams when we came against them in the CL. I do now and think if the draw is bad we could just go out.
So looks like another season where we are trophyless and we can say goodbye to Fabregas in the summer. I wouldnt blame him if he did leave but would hope he would stick around for another season.
I thought with the arrival of Arshavin Wenger had learnt his mistake and got an experienced player in. Shame he didnt continue with the same in January.
Caporegime
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He was fast, and a striker, he has no ability on the ball, put him 20 yards beyond the defence, give him games for confidence and he'll score goals, but ask him to dribble around a dead man on the floor and he'd have trouble. He has no pace while dribbling, most players can't run close to full speed when on the ball, the few best can dribble at almost full speed(Messi, Henry) and thats what makes them special, Theo is one of the slowest players, on the ball, in the squad. His decision making is woeful, passing and crossing abysmal, the only indication of anyones ability with Theo being included for the world cup squad, was Sven's inability to spot a good player from a bad one.
Wenger almost made some good changes, Eboue was infinately better going forwards than Sagna, made some good tackles aswell and played us out of decence far faster than we did for most of the game. Showed more on the wing than Walcott did in the whole game in his first two minutes, is Sagna ever returns to form Eboue/Sagna could be a ridiculously strong and pacey right side for us. While we keep benching Eboue, while playing a ridiculously worse player, well I won't blame him for leaving one bit. Like I didn't blame Pires for leaving for being dropped for Hleb, or Reyes wanting out for the same reason.
We simply had the ability to put out a much stronger starting 11 today than we actually did, again, and you can't do that and expect to win the biggest games.
Theo should be sold, flat out, he'll never be good, he doesn't have an ounce of real talent in his body, aswell as being a weak player who refuses to actually try hard.
I have no idea who actually thought Walcott was ever good, even his "best" moments before Arsenal were mostly tap ins created by poor defences leaving way to much room in behind and well timed passes from midfield. The most ridiculous thing is, considering 100% of Walcott's worth is being a striker to be played in behind, and we have the single best throughball/assist maker in the world on the same team, we play him on the right, its laughable.
Caporegime
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Almost everyone on page 11/12 has said it's men against boys and that Arsenal are woeful when if they watched the game instead of listening to Radio 5 they'd have seen that Arsenal played very well but couldn't score. Chelsea were very good defensively and they took their chances well. Arsenal had at least 4 chances which should have been converted but weren't. When Bendtner came on he seemed to offer much more, Walcott should have been on the bench and his pace used later on when Cashley was tired, Eboue should have started given his performance and Arshavin should be playing on either wing, not through the middle.
If it was my choice then Bendtner would have started up the middle, Arshavin on the left and Nasri on the right, Eboue at RB Rosicky starting instead of Diaby. Song needs to start playing his position better because as DM has said, he is not Fabregas which is what he seems to think he is. He's not a great passer, he can't shoot and he can just about tackle. He should be back because when we have pressure on teams it's only Vermaelen and Gallas back defending. Usually Clichy and Sagna are right up the pitch on the outsides of the box so when teams like Chelsea break and counter they usually have a 3 or 4 on 2 situation. Song is the person who needs to remedy this by doing what he is paid an obscene amount to do yet fails to do week after week. Clichy was also dire today but coming back from an injury it's slightly more forgivable than Song's performance, I was also about to say "Finally he's played a game without gaining a yellow", but then he put in a stupid, mistimed tackle from behind that was more of a hack than a tackle.
Arsenal should have levelled the score in the second half with the amount of chances that were created, Gallas should have been able to tap the free kick in as well but just missed out. I don't normally criticize Wenger but today I think we lost because of a poor team selection combined with Chelsea taking their chances when they came. Against Manchester United we were simply outplayed and outcompeted, I don't think that was the case today although the only stat that matters is the goals scored and unfortunately we weren't on top in that statistic.
Wenger NEEDS to buy players in the summer, in my opinion he needs to buy established players approaching their 30's, experienced players, not players who are up and coming. He needs to buy an established experienced goalkeeper, he needs to buy a centre forward and I think he needs to buy another holding midfielder, but who?
If it was my choice then Bendtner would have started up the middle, Arshavin on the left and Nasri on the right, Eboue at RB Rosicky starting instead of Diaby. Song needs to start playing his position better because as DM has said, he is not Fabregas which is what he seems to think he is. He's not a great passer, he can't shoot and he can just about tackle. He should be back because when we have pressure on teams it's only Vermaelen and Gallas back defending. Usually Clichy and Sagna are right up the pitch on the outsides of the box so when teams like Chelsea break and counter they usually have a 3 or 4 on 2 situation. Song is the person who needs to remedy this by doing what he is paid an obscene amount to do yet fails to do week after week. Clichy was also dire today but coming back from an injury it's slightly more forgivable than Song's performance, I was also about to say "Finally he's played a game without gaining a yellow", but then he put in a stupid, mistimed tackle from behind that was more of a hack than a tackle.
Arsenal should have levelled the score in the second half with the amount of chances that were created, Gallas should have been able to tap the free kick in as well but just missed out. I don't normally criticize Wenger but today I think we lost because of a poor team selection combined with Chelsea taking their chances when they came. Against Manchester United we were simply outplayed and outcompeted, I don't think that was the case today although the only stat that matters is the goals scored and unfortunately we weren't on top in that statistic.
Wenger NEEDS to buy players in the summer, in my opinion he needs to buy established players approaching their 30's, experienced players, not players who are up and coming. He needs to buy an established experienced goalkeeper, he needs to buy a centre forward and I think he needs to buy another holding midfielder, but who?
Man of Honour
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Well I predicted 3-0 to Chelsea in real life before the game and it very well could have been.
At least the lads had a go in the second half. We just never looked like taking our chances which was disappointing. Walcott was utterly terrible as per usual.
At least the lads had a go in the second half. We just never looked like taking our chances which was disappointing. Walcott was utterly terrible as per usual.
Caporegime
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Sagna was completely awful last season, though he went from okay to terrible throughout the season, it was his first season, the year before, he was very VERY good, but his late season injury, he hasn't been even half the player since that injury. Clichy is still very good, but largely he's been played for the past 2 years without a decent player to "play" the left side offensively, with previous left wingers we'd play the overlap well with pace and he'd be great. Without someone to play the overlap with, with similar pace to him he can't operate in that capacity, likewise we really don't have the pace for him to whip a low hard cross inbetween the keeper and back four and have a chance for any of our players to get a tap in, because we don't counter attack in that way anymore.
Defensively he's still great, its just he's not at all match fit and was rusty as heck the past 2 games, you could see a MASSIVE difference in his game today, and even as the game went on he got stronger and stronger. However rushing in a player not match fit to face Utd was a poor decision, we should have been playing someone with form, and let Clichy come back slower after this run of games, he simply wasn't ready.
Good game, think Arsenal played well, shut Chelsea down extremely well apart from once and Drogba scored that. Chelsea defended well and were ruthless when they got a sniff at goal, I feel that the only difference between Arsenal and Man Utd/Chelsea is that RvP got injured and Rooney/Drogba didn't. Lots of chances with nobody to finish them off. Wenger should have bought a striker.
Better second half from Arsenal but god we just cant seem to convert our chances when we are given them...should have at least drew the game but in all honesty i couldnt see us taking even a point from Chelski....why other weaker teams can out play Chelski whereas we cant is truly mind boggling.
FFS at this rate im gonna end up ditching Arsenal and supporting some other team
...oh well can only hope that Chelski and Man Utd drop points in the next few weeks whereas we gain points....other than that 3rd place should be ours unless we really have a bad run and end up well and truly out of the running for 4th place...think im gonna put a bet down soon on Arsenal not even getting 4th place
FFS at this rate im gonna end up ditching Arsenal and supporting some other team
...oh well can only hope that Chelski and Man Utd drop points in the next few weeks whereas we gain points....other than that 3rd place should be ours unless we really have a bad run and end up well and truly out of the running for 4th place...think im gonna put a bet down soon on Arsenal not even getting 4th placeOf course it has and this one will be a close run thing.
Caporegime
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When will people realise, Chelsea WANT to draw the team onto them, they are completely confident in their defensive capabilities and their counter attacking, so by sitting back, letting us have the possesion and catching us on the break we played directly into their hands. We weren't good today, we didn't play well, we didn't break them down, had very very few shots on target, had no shape in midfield as per usual, attacked at a snails pace, rarely if at all created a counter attack at speed and were overall rather crap.
Utd didn't have the same confidence in their defence, but did have confidence in their offence, so they just blasted us, that was the only difference.
RVP is not even close to the only difference between the teams, the difference is they are good and we simply aren't yet. It wasn't our lack of a goal scorer that cost us, RVP would have simply been the one to have our 1 real shot on target, if we scored that with a better striker, we'd still have lost, he wasn't even close to the difference. Its simply not capable players who make mistakes when it costs us.
I'll point out that, Song ignored Drogba, who he was marking, for the first goal. Song ran up the field for no apparent reason and we got caught short and back tracking when he lost the ball for the second and the 2 inches away from 3rd goal and what would have been an emphatic and embarassing hattrick for Drogba, was caused by another ridiculous challenge by Song.
Infact I'm not sure Song won a single tackle today, he commited a couple dozen fouls and almost every single "tackle" was simply kicking out at the players legs from behind, which is how he's tackled all year. How it took him till that late to get a yellow, is hilarious, then for Fabregas to get a yellow for one of his first few fouls, when that particular one wasn't a foul, was ridiculous. Followed shortly by Zirkov getting one minutes after coming on, another case of utter crap reffing where its not based on how much you deserve one, but simply if he's given out a yellow yet, if he has basically every foul is now a yellow.
EDIT:- I really can't get past Wengers decision to start Walcott, whose not put in a single good 90 minutes since being at Arsenal, other than 2-3 15 minute spells across almost 4 years at Arsenal, starting him was truly ridiculous. He's never once shown the ability to play well against the best out there, and he's never once shown an ability to help out defensively. We had an entire bench of better options than Walcott, its this unwaivering and completely misplaced faith in certain players that has cost us for 5 years now, either he HAS to change, or we get a new manager, or we'll simply continue being unable to beat better teams.
I find it funny that we all harp on about Benitez with his "we're turning the corner/we're improving" crap every single game then losing. Wenger with his, we're mentally stronger, we learned from that game, we made mistakes we won't make again. We won't lose like that again, blah blah blah, its been FIVE YEARS of the same excuses with no hint of improvement in these area's he keeps saying we've fixed the problem in.
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Exactly thus men against boys, it's all very well having possession but Chelsea showed even with their lack of the ball exactly what to do with it!
Unfortunately for Arsenal the point of the game is to score goals and the fact that Chelsea scored twice and kept Arsenal out at the other end do you think they care about the possession stats?
Soldato
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Not really my point, more that Arsenal will fall into the chasing pack making it 5 teams fighting for 2 spots.
You're as naive as the Arsenal team if you think that's all there is between United/Chelsea and Arsenal, it wasn't the lack of a striker that cost you the goals you conceded against Chelsea today and it wasn't the lack of a striker that saw you completely dominated by United last week
Yes you're correct having Van Persie fit might of caused you to cause Chelsea a few more problems today but even with him fit you'd of struggled to win today after going two down in the fashion you did
Besides you had no problems in the striker area's last season when us and Chelsea inflicted similar defeats
Caporegime
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It really isn't:
1. Both United and Chelsea have more than one striker. Especially as RvP has never been fit for entire seasons, so it was hardly unprecedented.
2. Both Chelsea and United have had injury problems, United had their entire defence out at one point and I wonder just how many games we've fielded our first choice centre backs.
Lol, Arsenal mugged by CA's hit & run tactics!
In other words, CA said a while ago that the way to beat Arsenal was on the break, his tactics were spot on today.
They had the majority of the possesion, which *never* happens at SB, but we were set up to kill them when they flooded forward and it worked, niiice
In other words, CA said a while ago that the way to beat Arsenal was on the break, his tactics were spot on today.
They had the majority of the possesion, which *never* happens at SB, but we were set up to kill them when they flooded forward and it worked, niiice