Blackburn Rovers 1 Arsenal 2
At risk of coming across all Barack Obama, it looks like change has come to Arsenal over the summer. And with it, there is now a hope that this could actually be a good season, not the slog that I predicted a few weeks ago.
It's a hope tempered by the fact that as I type there is a little under 18 hours until the transfer window closes. Of which Arsene will probably spend about half asleep. And yet the goalkeeper which every Gooner has demanded over the summer has yet to arrive. I was a little late to the party and yet I pointed out on the 4th of June that it was necessary for us to sign a goalkeeper.
Most disappointing of all, is that if a goalkeeper arrives tomorrow, it will most likely be Mark Schwarzer. Admittedly I'm more of a fan of Almunia than most. But, overlooking the fact that Almunia has been undermined by the speculation all summer, Schwarzer is barely an improvement on Almunia. Sure, most great goalkeepers come good in their 30s. But a man whose career progression has been to play for Middlesbrough for 11 years is not a world-class goalkeeper. Not even close.
And what the Blackburn game showed is that Manuel Almunia is a perfectly decent keeper. He will make some mistakes but by and large he will play solidly. And in this respect, he is no different from Schwarzer.
The hope there is stems from the excellent performances of Abou Diaby and Theo Walcott. Undoubtedly they need to show some consistency, and do this week in, week out. But it seems the improvement stems from playing subtly different positions. Diaby, playing as more of a holding midfield player, has greater positional discipline. He also releases the ball earlier, playing a simple pass, negating the impact of his prolonged dribbling in circles doing nothing. If nothing else, his strong performance probably shows that an Alex Song injury is not the worry it might have been at the beginning of the season.
Last week I was described as Scrooge by a friend for refusing to praise Theo unequivocally. Now he has put in two good performances I am certainly warming to him a little more. But I took no pleasure in criticising him; it was just the truth. Theo proving his critics wrong absolutely delights me. If he continues to make good crosses and make the right runs, rather than straight into defenders, his pace makes him a frighteningly good talent.
The thing about the Blackburn performance was that it was, as Goodplaya noted pre-match, something of a bellwether game. I think the comparison with the fixture in May is a little disingenuous because frankly, I think Arsenal had given up by then so Blackburn beating us was a little moot.
Far more interesting is that we won up north in the rain against a team who plays long-ball which is what we usually struggle against. Sure, the first goal was a thing of beauty but everybody in the country knows Arsenal can play like that.
I was more impressed by Koscielny/Vermaelen dealing with the long balls, with Song and Diaby dropping back as and when was necessary. If the defence can protect the goalkeeper a great deal more, it becomes far less of an issue.
More of an issue is the injury to RVP. As a friend quipped, isn't this supposed to be the most unpredictable season ever? One hopes he recovers quickly and only misses a couple of games. On the other hand, one expects him to return in December only to disappear again with a ruptured sphincter or some other ridiculous injury.
7 points from 9 is a good haul and now it's just a question of sitting, waiting and wishing. But that said, I'd be surprised to see anything happen. It could be an agonising wait till January for some signings or Arsenal could come good. That's the point with this side, I really can't predict what will happen.
Nonetheless, if you're truly fascinated by the deadline day madness I will probably be making bad jokes over on Twitter.
Keep the faith,
Adam
Monday, 30 August 2010
Sunday, 22 August 2010
11 conclusions from Arsenal-Blackpool
Arsenal 6 Blackpool 0
1) There's been a lot written about how the goalkeeping situation has undermined Almunia and the other goalkeepers. Far less has been written about the fans getting on their backs. The first home game of the new season was really the test of this - how would the fans react to Almunia in goal?
Of course, I can only reflect on people sat around me. But the amount of disdain and vitriol thrown towards Almunia, simply for one wayward clearance when Arsenal were already 2-0 suggests the fans may force the manager's hand with regard to the goalkeeping situation.
2)Almunia is infinitely preferable to Fabianski simply because for Almunia to keep a clean sheet it is far easier - he had practically nothing to do yesterday. With Fabianski in goal, Blackpool would undoubtedly have played more 'route one football' and played it wide more to test him with crosses. In short, this makes Fabianski's position at the club untenable.
3) The truth about Theo Walcott is he was good, not great, yesterday. Part of his good performance was certainly confidence. In the past, he never had the confidence to just keep on shooting. And the fact he has taken two direct free-kicks in two weeks suggests he certainly isn't low on morale despite not being picked for the World Cup.
And he did some really great things. Twice he won the ball with headers before creating chances. And he link-up play with Chamakh was marvellous and the turn and shot for the hat-trick was fantastic.
But this was against 10-man Blackpool. At risk of coming across all scrooge-like, he would only get into those positions once or twice a game against Chelsea and he still appeared to have bad decision-making. One particular example was where he tried to square it even though the cross was on, simply because he didn't want to miss from exactly the same position twice in a couple of minutes.
Walcott had a really good game. I never thought I would ever write that. But a one-off performance against a poor team is not enough to win me over - he needs to do it consistently for three months.
4) This alludes to the blindingly obvious: Blackpool were really poor. I think the sending-off changed the game and from my seat I was unconvinced it was even a foul (I'm yet to see a replay). At 1-0 they had a decent period of possession and almost looked like the might conjure up a goal.
But more importantly, Blackpool were foolhardy. Man United and Chelsea accept that Arsenal pass the ball the best in the country; but that's why they sit back and counter-attack against us. There's a reason it's often a struggle to win games until late on - and that reason is almost all teams sit back against Arsenal.
Blackpool were foolhardy because by attacking they left Arsenal space to play in. Their fans were great and their team played proper football. But they won't stay up unless they play a lot more defensively - their style at the moment makes them too easy to beat.
5) Tomas Rosicky played arguably the best he's ever played for Arsenal. He was excellent last week as a sub, and this week it was his little touches which kept on playing Walcott in for all the glory. His passing was wonderful, his vision stunning, and his timing perfect. It was obvious why he was nicknamed 'Little Mozart' at Dortmund. But much like Theo, he also needs to string a run of games together. Unlike Theo though, he is the obvious beneficiary of Nasri's injury.
6) Marouane Chamakh will get in some brilliant positions and is very mobile. And considering he supposedly had a bad game, it's important to note he scored a goal and won a penalty. I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and similarly, the success of Chamakh's Arsenal career will probably rest on whether he usually takes his chances, or he always misses a hatful. But as I said to my friends, give him a chance - it was only his second game in English football.
7) Carlos Vela looks like he's in better shape than last year. With Bendtner out injured for a couple of months, this could be his last chance. Lets hope he takes it.
8) Gael Clichy played a lot better yesterday than he did against Liverpool. Maybe it was the standard of the opposition. Or maybe it's feeling threatened by Kieran Gibbs. Either way it's a good thing.
9) Little Jack Wilshere will benefit from playing regularly. He was out of his depth against Liverpool. But by letting him build his confidence against Blackpool, this may not be the case in the future.
10) A 6-0 victory can easily influence a manager. Let us pray it does not. Nobody was signed after Everton were hammered last year. This team desperately needs a goalkeeper and a defender and I will be far more prepared to evaluate the team's chances for the season in 10 days once the transfer window has closed.
11) Any conclusions from this game have to be tempered by who Blackpool are. At Ewood Park next week, a sterner test awaits.
Keep the faith,
Adam
1) There's been a lot written about how the goalkeeping situation has undermined Almunia and the other goalkeepers. Far less has been written about the fans getting on their backs. The first home game of the new season was really the test of this - how would the fans react to Almunia in goal?
Of course, I can only reflect on people sat around me. But the amount of disdain and vitriol thrown towards Almunia, simply for one wayward clearance when Arsenal were already 2-0 suggests the fans may force the manager's hand with regard to the goalkeeping situation.
2)Almunia is infinitely preferable to Fabianski simply because for Almunia to keep a clean sheet it is far easier - he had practically nothing to do yesterday. With Fabianski in goal, Blackpool would undoubtedly have played more 'route one football' and played it wide more to test him with crosses. In short, this makes Fabianski's position at the club untenable.
3) The truth about Theo Walcott is he was good, not great, yesterday. Part of his good performance was certainly confidence. In the past, he never had the confidence to just keep on shooting. And the fact he has taken two direct free-kicks in two weeks suggests he certainly isn't low on morale despite not being picked for the World Cup.
And he did some really great things. Twice he won the ball with headers before creating chances. And he link-up play with Chamakh was marvellous and the turn and shot for the hat-trick was fantastic.
But this was against 10-man Blackpool. At risk of coming across all scrooge-like, he would only get into those positions once or twice a game against Chelsea and he still appeared to have bad decision-making. One particular example was where he tried to square it even though the cross was on, simply because he didn't want to miss from exactly the same position twice in a couple of minutes.
Walcott had a really good game. I never thought I would ever write that. But a one-off performance against a poor team is not enough to win me over - he needs to do it consistently for three months.
4) This alludes to the blindingly obvious: Blackpool were really poor. I think the sending-off changed the game and from my seat I was unconvinced it was even a foul (I'm yet to see a replay). At 1-0 they had a decent period of possession and almost looked like the might conjure up a goal.
But more importantly, Blackpool were foolhardy. Man United and Chelsea accept that Arsenal pass the ball the best in the country; but that's why they sit back and counter-attack against us. There's a reason it's often a struggle to win games until late on - and that reason is almost all teams sit back against Arsenal.
Blackpool were foolhardy because by attacking they left Arsenal space to play in. Their fans were great and their team played proper football. But they won't stay up unless they play a lot more defensively - their style at the moment makes them too easy to beat.
5) Tomas Rosicky played arguably the best he's ever played for Arsenal. He was excellent last week as a sub, and this week it was his little touches which kept on playing Walcott in for all the glory. His passing was wonderful, his vision stunning, and his timing perfect. It was obvious why he was nicknamed 'Little Mozart' at Dortmund. But much like Theo, he also needs to string a run of games together. Unlike Theo though, he is the obvious beneficiary of Nasri's injury.
6) Marouane Chamakh will get in some brilliant positions and is very mobile. And considering he supposedly had a bad game, it's important to note he scored a goal and won a penalty. I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and similarly, the success of Chamakh's Arsenal career will probably rest on whether he usually takes his chances, or he always misses a hatful. But as I said to my friends, give him a chance - it was only his second game in English football.
7) Carlos Vela looks like he's in better shape than last year. With Bendtner out injured for a couple of months, this could be his last chance. Lets hope he takes it.
8) Gael Clichy played a lot better yesterday than he did against Liverpool. Maybe it was the standard of the opposition. Or maybe it's feeling threatened by Kieran Gibbs. Either way it's a good thing.
9) Little Jack Wilshere will benefit from playing regularly. He was out of his depth against Liverpool. But by letting him build his confidence against Blackpool, this may not be the case in the future.
10) A 6-0 victory can easily influence a manager. Let us pray it does not. Nobody was signed after Everton were hammered last year. This team desperately needs a goalkeeper and a defender and I will be far more prepared to evaluate the team's chances for the season in 10 days once the transfer window has closed.
11) Any conclusions from this game have to be tempered by who Blackpool are. At Ewood Park next week, a sterner test awaits.
Keep the faith,
Adam
Monday, 16 August 2010
The Reina from Spain falls mainly on the ball. Liverpool match report.
Liverpool 1 Arsenal 1
And so it came to pass. Except the problem was that Jack Wilshere didn't manage to pass it on the edge of his own box. Rather, he missed the ball, Mascherano played in Ngog who lashed home a fine finish. And at that point, it was always going to be very hard to win the game. If at half-time I was worried Liverpool would now sit back, a minute after half-time I was certain of it. With two solid centre backs and a (usually) reliable goalkeeper, Arsenal had a task on their hands.
Lets start with the obvious. I think almost any Arsenal fan would have taken a point at the start of yesterday's match. Arsenal did have an unbeaten pre-season; but they had also conceded five goals just a week earlier against a very average Legia Warsaw side. It could easily have been a massive struggle at Anfield. And, arguably more pertinently, a point is very rarely a bad result there - the League is not won by winning away to the rest of the Big Four. Of course that helps matters. But avoiding defeat is always the number one priority in matches like this one.
And to be honest, there was only sixty seconds of football where I would have taken anything other than a draw. Sure, Samir Nasri played well in the first half. But my moaning in the second half until Rosicky created his 86th minute chance was that Arsenal had not tested Pepe Reina once. The first half was flat - both teams were missing their best player and there were four very good centre backs on the field.
On the point, it is important to credit Laurent Koscielny. I had been really worried about his diminutive stature. But he played really well, showing great bravery to come back out and his red card was a joke. As different from Joe Cole's which was fully justified for a ridiculous lunge (and he has history). I just hope that the egg-sized lump Sky spoke of does not turn out to be an injury.
Still, if anything this game showed how Arsenal are living on thin ice. Wenger clearly doesn't trust Nordveit as he didn't even make the matchday squad so with Djourou perennially injured, its fair to say we're short at the back. With Koscielny's suspension, Arsenal go into the second game of the season with only one genuine centre back available. That is an outrage.
An outrage only compounded by the lack of a genuine goalkeeper. Although Arsene was being disingenuous when he said "Almunia had a good game", he wasn't all the bad. He just kind of reverted to type. He missed a couple of crosses and he was beaten by a fine finish at the near post. But that's the issue with Almunia: as different from Fabianski, he's not a bad goalkeeper. He's just not particularly good either. To win the title - or any trophy really - a team needs a good goalkeeper. There's 15 days left before the transfer window closes and if he doesn't bring one in, I echo Goodplaya's sentiment that this season will be a long hard slog.
But, to be honest, the lack of a good goalkeeper and the fragile position of the defence were immensely predictable before the game. The poor performance of the midfield was not.
Wilshere didn't seem to know what position he was playing and seems to (understandably) lack the maturity to play in a game of this magnitude. And his tackling is embarassing. Arshavin had said he was out of form and rarely has a truer word been spoken. But it was Diaby who really got my goat. I know he hasn't played at all in pre-season but this performance encapsulated everything that is infuriating about Diaby - the dribbling in circle, the refusal to lay the ball off early, and the refusal to play a simple pass. It was worrying.
Gael Clichy also seemed a little leaden of touch and I think he'll lose his place in the team before Christmas if Gibbs stays fit. That said, the back four did seem to function as a unit and the offside trap seems to be the one thing Arsenal do still have in defence.
Up front, Chamakh worked hard and hopefully he will recognise that being a little more direct does bring rewards. But this was an incredibly difficult first game for a new signing to play as a lone striker and he did well.
But the ultimate problem was that although Arsenal ended the game with Chamakh, Van Persie, Arshavin, Walcott, Rosicky and Nasri on the pitch, it was only an absolute howler which salvaged a point and they created very little.
And it's because of this that despite playing 10 men for 45 minutes, this must be marked down as a good result. But I'd still hope to see a massive improvement against Blackpool.
Keep the faith,
Adam
And so it came to pass. Except the problem was that Jack Wilshere didn't manage to pass it on the edge of his own box. Rather, he missed the ball, Mascherano played in Ngog who lashed home a fine finish. And at that point, it was always going to be very hard to win the game. If at half-time I was worried Liverpool would now sit back, a minute after half-time I was certain of it. With two solid centre backs and a (usually) reliable goalkeeper, Arsenal had a task on their hands.
Lets start with the obvious. I think almost any Arsenal fan would have taken a point at the start of yesterday's match. Arsenal did have an unbeaten pre-season; but they had also conceded five goals just a week earlier against a very average Legia Warsaw side. It could easily have been a massive struggle at Anfield. And, arguably more pertinently, a point is very rarely a bad result there - the League is not won by winning away to the rest of the Big Four. Of course that helps matters. But avoiding defeat is always the number one priority in matches like this one.
And to be honest, there was only sixty seconds of football where I would have taken anything other than a draw. Sure, Samir Nasri played well in the first half. But my moaning in the second half until Rosicky created his 86th minute chance was that Arsenal had not tested Pepe Reina once. The first half was flat - both teams were missing their best player and there were four very good centre backs on the field.
On the point, it is important to credit Laurent Koscielny. I had been really worried about his diminutive stature. But he played really well, showing great bravery to come back out and his red card was a joke. As different from Joe Cole's which was fully justified for a ridiculous lunge (and he has history). I just hope that the egg-sized lump Sky spoke of does not turn out to be an injury.
Still, if anything this game showed how Arsenal are living on thin ice. Wenger clearly doesn't trust Nordveit as he didn't even make the matchday squad so with Djourou perennially injured, its fair to say we're short at the back. With Koscielny's suspension, Arsenal go into the second game of the season with only one genuine centre back available. That is an outrage.
An outrage only compounded by the lack of a genuine goalkeeper. Although Arsene was being disingenuous when he said "Almunia had a good game", he wasn't all the bad. He just kind of reverted to type. He missed a couple of crosses and he was beaten by a fine finish at the near post. But that's the issue with Almunia: as different from Fabianski, he's not a bad goalkeeper. He's just not particularly good either. To win the title - or any trophy really - a team needs a good goalkeeper. There's 15 days left before the transfer window closes and if he doesn't bring one in, I echo Goodplaya's sentiment that this season will be a long hard slog.
But, to be honest, the lack of a good goalkeeper and the fragile position of the defence were immensely predictable before the game. The poor performance of the midfield was not.
Wilshere didn't seem to know what position he was playing and seems to (understandably) lack the maturity to play in a game of this magnitude. And his tackling is embarassing. Arshavin had said he was out of form and rarely has a truer word been spoken. But it was Diaby who really got my goat. I know he hasn't played at all in pre-season but this performance encapsulated everything that is infuriating about Diaby - the dribbling in circle, the refusal to lay the ball off early, and the refusal to play a simple pass. It was worrying.
Gael Clichy also seemed a little leaden of touch and I think he'll lose his place in the team before Christmas if Gibbs stays fit. That said, the back four did seem to function as a unit and the offside trap seems to be the one thing Arsenal do still have in defence.
Up front, Chamakh worked hard and hopefully he will recognise that being a little more direct does bring rewards. But this was an incredibly difficult first game for a new signing to play as a lone striker and he did well.
But the ultimate problem was that although Arsenal ended the game with Chamakh, Van Persie, Arshavin, Walcott, Rosicky and Nasri on the pitch, it was only an absolute howler which salvaged a point and they created very little.
And it's because of this that despite playing 10 men for 45 minutes, this must be marked down as a good result. But I'd still hope to see a massive improvement against Blackpool.
Keep the faith,
Adam
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Season preview: The problems are all too obvious for Arsenal
In a little over two days, Arsenal will step out at Anfield for the first game of a season which will hopefully end with Cesc lifting the Champions League trophy at Wembley.
And yet, we enter it with a squad which is at least two or three players short, and the failures of the past few seasons ready to be exploited even more. No more can the excuse be given that this team is young and inexperienced. Gael Clichy is 25; Bacary Sagna and Robin Van Persie are 27; all of them have played over 100 games for Arsenal.
The problems are all too obvious. Arsenal beat Legia Warsaw last Saturday. But the scoreline was 6-5 – at what point will Arsene Wenger realise he needs to strengthen defence? Every year we concede too many goals to compete realistically for the Premier League. Last year we conceded 41 goals in the League; the year before it was 37 and the year before that 31. The defence is getting worse, not better.
What’s tragic is that David Seaman has never been properly replaced. Jens Lehmann put in three good seasons but if you sign a 34-year-old goalkeeper you can’t expect more than that. Almunia has flattered to deceive and the less said about Fabianski the better. One of the extraordinary things about Wenger is that in 15 years he has probably failed to sign a top-level goalkeeper. It is a sign of how Arsenal have fallen that the fans are desperate to bring Mark Schwarzer in. He’s a solid goalkeeper. But he’s 37 and he’s never played for a top club which tells its own story. And, arguably more pertinently, he’d be yet another stop-gap.
It’s telling that neither Liverpool nor Pepe Reina rubbished the story that he wanted to come to Arsenal. Even last season, when Liverpool finished 7th, they conceded six less goals than Arsenal. He’s a truly world-class goalkeeper and its all too worrying that the gulf in class between the men in goal will be exposed on Sunday (and throughout the season).
And yet, there’s truth in the argument that Reina is expensive. But Schwarzer isn’t. And nor has he ever been at any point this summer. It would be better to sign him than have Almunia in goal; but equally, it begs the question why he wasn’t signed earlier in the summer. It’s like buying a winter coat. Undoubtedly, you can buy it cheaper in the June sales but that’s because you don’t need it (as much) then.
Arsenal may have knocked 500k or a million pounds off the price through their brinkmanship over Schwarzer. But they’ve also missed a pre-season with him training with the defence and the lack of communication that may cause could cost far more than 500k.
And even if we do sign Schwarzer so what? It’s worth remembering that in the Champions League quarter-final last season Wenger was forced to play Mikael Silvestre at centre-back. By my calculations, he was fifth-choice: Vermaelen, Gallas, Campbell, and Song would all be played in front of him. And Djourou if fit.
Since then, Wenger has lost Gallas, Campbell and Silvestre. And replaced them with just one defender. Bear in mind also, that he has nobody to cover (well) for Alex Song so he isn’t a realistic long-term or short-term option at centre-back. Now despite Koscielny’s dodgy defending in pre-season, I have faith that he can strike up a good relationship with Vermaelen. But all our history shows is that centre-backs always pick up injuries and aside from the perennially injury-prone Djourou, Arsenal have few options.
I accept it’s hard to persuade a top-class centre-back to sign with the offer of being part of a rotation system. But with the number of injuries Arsenal pick up every year it can’t be impossible. The idea that Vermaelen and Koscielny can play 50 games each a season isn’t necessarily a nonsense; but it’s based on hope, rather than expectation and that’s no way to run a top level football club.
What’s so tragic is that all the fans are aware we’re only a couple of signings away from being able to compete. And yet our opinion isn’t heard: we were kept waiting for hours at members day to simply have superlatives trotted out by the players and all the questions pre-vetted: nobody was allowed to ask Nicklas Bendtner whether he really believed this squad had improved so much over the summer. Instead, we were told that he’d like to be Batman.
I hate to be downbeat about Arsenal’s chances at the beginning of a season and it’s the first time I’ve really been this pessimistic. Last year, I talked us up a great deal to no avail. But I feel a degree of realism is necessary and if the squad was too thin last year, losing players will not help.
I really believe Marouane Chamakh is a great signing and if we can keep RVP fit we will continue to score goals all season. But Wenger wants Arsenal to be like Barcelona. And the reason Barca continually out-perform Real Madrid was that they had a very solid defence. This may well be Wenger’s last year at the club although he has hinted otherwise. But with this squad, I have my doubts it will be a glorious one.
I’d love them to prove me wrong and I’d love them to bring in two or three new players. But currently, I can’t see how Arsenal can out-perform Chelsea over 38 games. With a different goalkeeper it would be a different story though, so never say never.
Keep the faith,
Adam
And yet, we enter it with a squad which is at least two or three players short, and the failures of the past few seasons ready to be exploited even more. No more can the excuse be given that this team is young and inexperienced. Gael Clichy is 25; Bacary Sagna and Robin Van Persie are 27; all of them have played over 100 games for Arsenal.
The problems are all too obvious. Arsenal beat Legia Warsaw last Saturday. But the scoreline was 6-5 – at what point will Arsene Wenger realise he needs to strengthen defence? Every year we concede too many goals to compete realistically for the Premier League. Last year we conceded 41 goals in the League; the year before it was 37 and the year before that 31. The defence is getting worse, not better.
What’s tragic is that David Seaman has never been properly replaced. Jens Lehmann put in three good seasons but if you sign a 34-year-old goalkeeper you can’t expect more than that. Almunia has flattered to deceive and the less said about Fabianski the better. One of the extraordinary things about Wenger is that in 15 years he has probably failed to sign a top-level goalkeeper. It is a sign of how Arsenal have fallen that the fans are desperate to bring Mark Schwarzer in. He’s a solid goalkeeper. But he’s 37 and he’s never played for a top club which tells its own story. And, arguably more pertinently, he’d be yet another stop-gap.
It’s telling that neither Liverpool nor Pepe Reina rubbished the story that he wanted to come to Arsenal. Even last season, when Liverpool finished 7th, they conceded six less goals than Arsenal. He’s a truly world-class goalkeeper and its all too worrying that the gulf in class between the men in goal will be exposed on Sunday (and throughout the season).
And yet, there’s truth in the argument that Reina is expensive. But Schwarzer isn’t. And nor has he ever been at any point this summer. It would be better to sign him than have Almunia in goal; but equally, it begs the question why he wasn’t signed earlier in the summer. It’s like buying a winter coat. Undoubtedly, you can buy it cheaper in the June sales but that’s because you don’t need it (as much) then.
Arsenal may have knocked 500k or a million pounds off the price through their brinkmanship over Schwarzer. But they’ve also missed a pre-season with him training with the defence and the lack of communication that may cause could cost far more than 500k.
And even if we do sign Schwarzer so what? It’s worth remembering that in the Champions League quarter-final last season Wenger was forced to play Mikael Silvestre at centre-back. By my calculations, he was fifth-choice: Vermaelen, Gallas, Campbell, and Song would all be played in front of him. And Djourou if fit.
Since then, Wenger has lost Gallas, Campbell and Silvestre. And replaced them with just one defender. Bear in mind also, that he has nobody to cover (well) for Alex Song so he isn’t a realistic long-term or short-term option at centre-back. Now despite Koscielny’s dodgy defending in pre-season, I have faith that he can strike up a good relationship with Vermaelen. But all our history shows is that centre-backs always pick up injuries and aside from the perennially injury-prone Djourou, Arsenal have few options.
I accept it’s hard to persuade a top-class centre-back to sign with the offer of being part of a rotation system. But with the number of injuries Arsenal pick up every year it can’t be impossible. The idea that Vermaelen and Koscielny can play 50 games each a season isn’t necessarily a nonsense; but it’s based on hope, rather than expectation and that’s no way to run a top level football club.
What’s so tragic is that all the fans are aware we’re only a couple of signings away from being able to compete. And yet our opinion isn’t heard: we were kept waiting for hours at members day to simply have superlatives trotted out by the players and all the questions pre-vetted: nobody was allowed to ask Nicklas Bendtner whether he really believed this squad had improved so much over the summer. Instead, we were told that he’d like to be Batman.
I hate to be downbeat about Arsenal’s chances at the beginning of a season and it’s the first time I’ve really been this pessimistic. Last year, I talked us up a great deal to no avail. But I feel a degree of realism is necessary and if the squad was too thin last year, losing players will not help.
I really believe Marouane Chamakh is a great signing and if we can keep RVP fit we will continue to score goals all season. But Wenger wants Arsenal to be like Barcelona. And the reason Barca continually out-perform Real Madrid was that they had a very solid defence. This may well be Wenger’s last year at the club although he has hinted otherwise. But with this squad, I have my doubts it will be a glorious one.
I’d love them to prove me wrong and I’d love them to bring in two or three new players. But currently, I can’t see how Arsenal can out-perform Chelsea over 38 games. With a different goalkeeper it would be a different story though, so never say never.
Keep the faith,
Adam
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