Midweek Football Thread - 18th/19th

drunkenmaster said:
He ALWAYS tracks back he always works hard and constant movement(greenlizard) is the BEST THING A STRIKER CAN DO. Movement of multiple players is this little thing the best strikers in the world do, it means passes open up and defenders get dragged around creating space.

Lazy, Selfish, he has 9 assists in his position in the Denmark team, selfish? not once did I see him not track back and cover runs down his wing. He ran therefore other strikers moved therefore, he's selfish?
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Utter garbage, and the fact I think (deciphering walls of text here) we're talking about different things. You're on about him when we have the ball, I'm not.

It's the first thing I noticed about him tonight. His failure to work. Doing a minute of work, then nothing for 5 minutes isn't how you play football. Cesc and Denilson were forced to sprint across more than once tonight to cover while Bender was awol from his position (great - that leaves a big hole in the middle!). Not only does this occur for example after attacks (failure to run back into position) but it happens to his play in general. Cesc had to work especially hard tonight, but, when Sky compared the distances run between him and Celtic's midfielder, why do you think our guy ran significantly further than the Scot?

Yes forwards who drift around is absolutely fine. When Bender is the first to do it through laziness, I repeat, laziness - not him actively doing it - this is lazy behaviour. As I said - others were forced to sprint as a result of him.
 
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I feel Arsenal are playing better than what i've seen last season. There are some problems still but they are playing well as a team and working the ball, good passing and not too many mistakes.

Delighted tonight with the result!
 
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Bear in mind Bendtner isn't actually a winger. He's not going to pick it up straight away.

Also, some players have a lazy look about them, Bendtner is one of them. I don't think he is a lazy player at all and last night I don't think Bendtner was lazy. There was moment in the second half where the commentators pointed out that he hadn't tracked his man, so that has probably made a few think he'd been doing it all game.

Also he is not a target man. He might be a big guy and good in the air and at holding it up, but you can tell from his style of play he's more of a link up man. He likes little intricate one-twos and trying to find a penetrative pass that way.

I personally like him but he needs a good run of games in his favoured position if he's ever going to meet his potential at Arsenal. Right wing isn't where he belongs.

As for Song, he did a great job defensively yesterday and you can tell what a difference it makes to Arsenal as a unit when he plays there. Sometimes though, passing particularly, he looks like the weakest link. He doesn't have the speed of thinking that Denilson and Fabregas do (but then who does) nor does he have the vision. Still he is improving all the time and I'm sure he can get rid of the sloppiness from his game.
 
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jrodga2k5 said:
To be honest Walcott isn't a winger either is he?

Was he not a stiker for Southampton originally then Wenger made him into a winger?
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This is Walcott's biggest problem, what is his best position?

For me he is an average winger, he has the odd decent game but he drifts out of the game far too much and his delivery is largely average.

He may yet turn into an Owen type forward, that might be his best position down the line.

Bendtner gets worse and worse imo, i think his attitude stinks and he clearly thinks he is the player that he isn't. I haven't lost faith in him though because there is a top player in there somewhere.
 
I for one don't think Bendtner's workrate is that poor, I just don't think he has the talent to be a great striker for Arsenal and he's definitely no linkup man. I would much rather see Eduardo play instead as a striker, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but would rather see Eboue on the right of midfield if Rosicky,Walcott and Nasri not fit.
I agree with Marscay, I think Bendtner thinks he's a much more talented player than he really is, his statements in papers towards the end of the season confirmed this. Fact is, he reminds me more of Senderos than Henry skillswise
 
I thought Bender's workrate was good last night, certainly as good as Arshavin's who in the same position on the other side. He got lazy for a few months at the start of last season but since the start of '09 I think he's put in the work on the pitch well.
 
Liverpool team:
------------Reina
Johnson-Ayala-Carra-Insua
--------Lucas-Masch
Kuyt------Gerrard----Benayoun
-----------Torres

Skrtel's not fit after cracking his jaw vs Spurs and thankfully Benayoun has come in for Babel.
 
jrodga2k5 said:
To be honest Walcott isn't a winger either is he?

Was he not a stiker for Southampton originally then Wenger made him into a winger?
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No, in the youth setup at Saints he used to play on the wing primarily or 'in the hole' just behind the strikers. I was actually very suprised to see him played up front a few times for Saints, that's definitely not where he was making an impression before he got into the first team squad.

As for Song, he did a great job defensively yesterday and you can tell what a difference it makes to Arsenal as a unit when he plays there. Sometimes though, passing particularly, he looks like the weakest link.
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Would you not agree though that being able to pass is a fundamental requirement of playing centremid? That's why Diao was so hopeless at Liverpool, he was a walking drop-ball. Still, to be fair to the lad he's definitely come on a lot in 2009.
 
Lineup:

Man Utd: Foster, O'Shea, Jonathan Evans, Brown, Evra, Park, Anderson, Carrick, Giggs, Owen, Rooney.

Subs: Kuszczak, Neville, Berbatov, Scholes, Valencia, Gibson, De Laet.

Good to see Ando and Carrick, should be far better than the weekend's combo. Hopefully Owen can net one. Giggs and Park are infinitely weaker wingers than Nani and Valencia though :(
 
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