Arse505

I realize I haven’t wrote anything since United raped our poor asses, 8-2. Well, there hasn’t been much to say since then. Really. It’s gone from very bad to very very bad. And so it goes.

Now, it only seems appropriate that my return to Arse505  comes right after we’ve lost to the most deluded team in North London. 2-1 and suddenly they are some sort of legends. Hilarious, really. Last I checked Arsenal have 13 titles to Spuds 2. So until THAT gap is closed.  Shhh…

Once again the Arsenal were ousted under the most regrettable of circumstance. Was Van de Vaart guilty of handling the ball? maybe. From the replays it really could have been a “scoop” chest of the ball with some left breast on it.  I don’t know. What I do know is that Ade created the pass that set it up. And I want to know why he, the lankiest of the Lank, even got the chance to make that pass. Complete selection disaster as I see it.

Basically, we’ve got players who train everyday in their particular position. Defense with defenders; Mids with mids; Strikers with strikers and so on. So, how does Song, a holding mid, start at Center Back? Many on Twitter were saying that he was our only option because all of our CBs were out injured. Many cited that Miquel was out, but then he played in the reserves. Today. Surely an additional day of rest was not the difference of being fit vs unfit.  So,  it has to be asked why Song, our starting defensive mid, would be moved back to play CB when there is a perfectly able-bodied CB in Miquel. WTF.

Most will cite the North London derby as reason enough to not play the youthful but talented. To me, that’s a bunch of chicken shit reasoning. If Wenger was scared to play Miquel cuz he was afraid of him fucking something up, in the utmost of occasions,  then it has to be asked why he is at the Club if he isn’t going to get a shot in such a contentious tie. These guys come to Arsenal because they know they will get a shot to play. They don’t believe they’ll play in the Reserves all of the time or go out on loan to second tier clubs. They believe in their own talents, and they want to fight for the first XI. It’s bullshit to think that a player like Miquel simply wouldn’t show up for such a big match. In fact, I would think he would step up and put in a shift to stake his claim at the top. That’s what I believe in.  For me, independent of age, if you play a certain position and we are short in that position, but you can play, then you get the start. That is super quality, is it not?

More rumor was about how Frimpong didn’t play and instead Coquelin got the start. Many a worry about his mind in such a hot headed affair. Again, what’s the point of having this bruiser if you can’t get stuck in versus your rivals? It has to be asked why he wouldn’t get a chance to play and put loads of pressure on Modric and go head-to-head with Parker. I know it would get heated but this is where he has to learn. Frimpong isn’t going to learn unless he straight up redeems himself for his earlier blunders. And he can’t do that if he is left out.

In recent times we’ve seen these calamitous selections come and go. It’s just that this time around Wenger did it versus our twat neighbors. It’s just as bad as 8-2 Away to United. And it’s so much worse for the Gooners who live in London.

For me there are some very obvious things to do. For one, I would have played Song in his natural position and had Miquel pair with Mertesacker. It’s not perfect, it’s not ideal, but both are actual CBs who have been playing in that position for X amount of years whilst Song does not play there regularly. I think Song got the CB nod because of his good performance vs Olympiacos and Wenger’s fear of a youngster shitting the bed and costing the Arsenal points. It’s reasonable, but for me, I’d rather deal with a CB fucking up then a guy who doesn’t play there being put at risk for the big fuck up. For me, that’s the obvious thing to do. Then you have Song in his natural position stopping the pass from the mids to the striker. If Song is holding the mid, who is to say he wouldn’t have crumpled Ade as he tried to pass to VdV? If you stop the pass there is no opportunity for even a shot, much less a goal. Duh.

Also, Oxlade-Chamberlain has had a stunning few matches and doesn’t even get a sniff at this match. Of course, it’s because of Wenger’s fear of him being too young, inexperienced, and in such a heated affair. Also maybe because he did play mid-week.  If you saw the match then you can honestly say that he couldn’t have fucked up any worse than Theo did. Ox is simply better with the ball at his feet, a natural winger. Theo is not a winger and yet continues to be picked for that position where he struggles every fucking match and the fans get on his back about how shit he is. Well, he’s terrible on the wing. In truth, if he continues to play on the wing his confidence will continue to dwindle and will be shattered when Ox gets the nod over him. Theo is a striker. And if he is not going to play striker at the Arsenal then he needs to be offloaded because right now he’s not helping. That is just a stingy fact.

And playing Gervinho on the wing has been as nightmarish as Arshavin. In Gervinho, we have a guy who is slightly more active with coming back to help the defense but fails to see any simple pass. And it’s not because of his forehead. It’s because he does the U11 head down dribble to no where and then tries to find teammates who have given up on moving into space because he has dribbled it all away. Gervinho has no idea where his teammates are, and right now, is no better than the other shit winger we have, Theo. I’d sit them both.

I would quickly get Ryo up to full fitness and throw him into the deep end. Time to step up, son. Welcome to life as a pro. You get paid to perform.  I’d utilize Ryo’s speed and the fact that his natural position is left wing and start him immediately. Likewise, I’d start Ox on the right wing. Two natural wingers playing fucking wing. Amazing concept. Fuck the age and experience issue. What we’ve seen is experienced “veterans” fucking up. So, really, more fuck ups from youthful but talented players cannot hurt us any worse.  At least we can get some valuable experience for these lads. At least. And there is a chance that it works out. And I really think it would.

I’ll only say that we should tinker with our formation. I don’t like the 433 cuz our team doesn’t work well enough, as a team, to defend and press. Until that happens this formation is a lost fucking cause. I’d prefer a traditional 442 with the 2 wings I mentioned paired with Song and Arteta through the middle. For now, Ramsey isn’t cutting it. And Wenger needs to decide if he is a Arteta-like or Song-like player, or neither. Pick one. It’s fairly obvious he is stuck in two minds.  Both Ramsey and Arteta were sitting very deep versus Spuds and so, not surprisingly, we had no link up to RVP. Sigh.

And, of course, Theo needs to play up top off of Robin. It’s amazing to think that Wenger won’t do this like he played Bergkamp with Henry. The technique of one paired with the speed of the other. It’s a no-brainer for me.

But alas, these are the issues I will highlight all season. Most notable is that Wenger isn’t going to change. I truly believe he won’t change his formation because he knows his legacy isn’t with the 442. Lady Alex has done it, and does it better than everyone in England. Even with an astonishing amount of luck.  Alex’s titles won’t be touched by Wenger. But Wenger knows that nobody in English football has won both domestically and in Europe in a 433. I believe that’s his goal. Wenger wants to win, at any cost, in the most attacking of formations.  I admire that. I love the vision. But he has to select the right players for it to work. And the ones he has at this Club, right now,  can’t play that formation. In order to save the season and truly challenge for any silverware he has to make some big changes, and take some risks on these super quality players he rates so highly. But he won’t. And what a fucking shame.

It’s gonna be a long season. I’ll hold out that maybe one day I’ll see my team picked and with these selections we will get a brilliant result. But until then it lives on in FIFA12. It’s all I got. And when the Arsenal play in this scheme, oh my, it’s a fucking beaut!

ArsenaLos

Hit it, Mikey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eSl3X0brZU

Don’t worry Chunk isn’t dead. And, no, Cesc isn’t, either. But you wouldn’t know any different as we haven’t heard a peep in ages from our fearless Captain.

Just gonna say it: sell him. You’ve already rolled your eyes and thought to yourself, ‘this guy doesn’t know what he is saying’. Yes, you’re gonna go to Google and cite statistics over the last, well, 8 years. I get it. He’s good. Would Arsenal be better with Cesc in the side? Sure. In some cases. But will Arsenal win silverware with Cesc in the side? Well, the last 6 years is support enough of that not being a factor in bringing home silverware. The statistical citations fall apart when you break it down to the simple fact that Cesc has been ‘one of the top midfielders in the World’ but Arsenal have won noooooooooothing. ‘Oh, this guy should go support the Yids! The fucking wanker!’, you just recited in your Gooner-drenched brain matter. Nah, there’s only one team in London.

And now the Arsenal fan has had to endure the saga of Nasri not signing another long-term contract. Well, the same message goes to him. We haven’t won anything with Nasri in the side so what makes him think that he is so important to the team and irreplaceable? These guys. Their egos. Arsenal has such a good talent pool, scouts across the world, and some of these characters think they can hold the Club to ransom. Fools. Best of luck to Nasri, too. If he doesn’t want to sign, get some big money, and sell him. But, please, not to Citi.

So, instead of focusing on the want-aways, i’d prefer to comment on the rather-stays. If Cesc and Nasri want to re-up and come back to the team, that’s fine. I don’t need the commentary, show it on the pitch. If you’re in it, be in it to win it. Cliche, I know, but not to be confused with Clichy. He’s shit [now].

The pre-season has been inconsistent. That’s nothing new. Perhaps, just perhaps Arsenal are getting the inconsistencies out before the season instead of the second half. I prefer to think that’s the case. I dont’ really care much for the results whilst they were on travel to Asia. It was fucking hot and humid and their bodies had no time to adjust to the time difference and jet lag. Whatever.  And then Arsenal played in Germany, another stretching of the legs; lastly, had a run at the famed and illustrious Emirates Cup. We lost it? oh, man…guess the season is over. and, of course, to top it all off Arsenal lost the final pre-season match to Benfica. A poor pre-season? Hardly. It’s all about getting the legs back, bonding and playing with your teammates, ya know, getting your football hat back on.  Results don’t matter. I wish we had won them all because I don’t like to lose but we didn’t, I’m over it.

In the final match of the pre-season I found a lot to look forward to. The starting XI was quite good, very lively. Arsenal did well  against a very enthusiastic and lively Benfica. It did take a minute for some of the old and new to adjust to the pace of a competitive match. Eventually, Arsenal settled and began to string together passes in our very familiar Arsenal way. How nice was the Arsenal goal? It was incisive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBP_bJZEubY So, really, I’m not worried. The first XI had the ball on a string and did so against a high-pressure defense. And, let’s be honest,  England defenses are not that pressuring with their lumbering oafs in the back. But more importantly the players who did start looked to have improved.

Notable movement came from Arshavin, who as you know I am always getting on for his poor efforts; he moved, he moved off the ball and he looked focused. That’s new. Little meerkat was instrumental in setting Gibbs free from a Cesc-like position. Hell, Arshavin can play in that CAM role…if Wenger ever gives him a chance.

And then we had Rosicky, who actually got a pre-season in free of injury. Many don’t know, or don’t care to accept that Rosicky arrived in 2006 and has been injured since. Even when he finally had his freak injury diagnosed he missed pre-season for reoccurring compensation injury. Rosicky is THE example of Wenger’s ‘like a new signing’. I had struggled to figure out who should take over for Cesc when he departs. I named Ramsey as his successor. I did so prematurely. I think, if fit and in-form, Rosicky will lead from Center Attacking Mid. ‘This guy, my God, he’s fucking looney’ Yes, yes I am. But really, Rosicky has the experience, maturity, and technical quality and vision to take over from Cesc, his very good mate. It seems almost appropriate that the Phoenix of the squad be Rosicky. Dude has suffered. And all he wants to do is play football. That’s the type of player you want and need in a squad and we have him. I can’t name a better player to epitomize the rebirth of Arsenal. Unless you’re thinking of Vermaelen.

I am so stoked to have Verm back into the squad. My wife and I saw one of his early matches vs Wigan, ya know, the one where he scores and makes it look too easy. Yeah, that one. A sweet left-footed curler, top-corner. World Class. From a defender. And that’s what we’ve missed. You look at who we started at CB last year and it’s simply incredible that Arsenal even finished 4th. And even more amazing is that the mix-mash of CB pairings nearly won 4 different trophies, too. And, now we have Vermaelen back. I honestly believe he is the difference of winning a trophy or not. And it doesn’t matter if Cesc or Nasri are in the team. What matters, to me, is that Verm stays healthy. He’s got that very special leadership quality. The kind of leadership that is there whether or not he dawns the Captain band. Vermaelen has worn the band for Ajax, wears it for Belgium, but understands that it doesn’t matter if it’s on or not, what matters is that leadership, vocally or by example, is bigger than him. And he knows that he has to get the best out of the team. It’s that willingness to martyr himself for the sake of the team that is really going to be our biggest signing this summer.

And with Vermaelen’s presence in the back, a cheeky signing of Gervinho and the usual suspects returning I think Arsenal have another good nucleus. Every summer we hear about how we need a new holding mid and center back. Admittedly, I have my own wishlist but I’m not convinced that even big, calculated buys will yield trophies. And since I don’t have any control over them I won’t go into it. If we get a few new faces to add to the depth of the squad I’d be very appreciative as I think the squad is a bit thin. But hey, I don’t have any control over it. And never will.

So, Arsenal start the season with less optimism than in year’s past because we’ll likely lose Cesc and Nasri. That’s fine, let’s get over it. They don’t want to see out another trophyless season and that’s their choice. And that’s the fact. Arsenal may not win anything this year. For the last three years I have been completely convinced that this team would win the Premiership. So, this year, I’ll just support them. I won’t overanalyze it but support who is picked every week. If a player is shit and didn’t work hard enough during the match, I’ll have to say something about it. It would be wrong to pretend like everything is okay.  But what I won’t ever do is criticize effort. At least I know the player is trying and giving his all. That’s all I ask.

I just want to see high effort and a real commitment to the badge. I think this year we’ve got a few qualitative elements that you won’t read on Sky or hear on Fox Soccer Report. And the usual pundits won’t hint at it cuz they’re statistical know-it-alls. So, even without anymore signings, the loss of a few stars, and a feeling of pessimism I think Arsenal can still put up a fight. Mikey said it best.

ArsenaLos

It’s been awhile since I wrote. And mostly because the football we’ve seen for the last few months has been manic. One day the Arsenal play great football and then the next back to lifeless, spiritless dross. In this time I’ve had plenty to mull over. And, after reading @Arseblog today I wanted to defend one player and advocate for his return to the starting XI. And, yes, in replace of Arsenal golden boy, Robin Van Persie. Marouane Chamakh got the short end of the selection stick. And this is why…

Chamakh led the Arsenal team in a way that RVP could not. In August, Arsenal won two matches and drew one. That’s seven of nine possible points. All matches that Chamakh played in; mind you, Chamakh came on after thirty-four minutes vs Blackburn for a crocked RVP. Arsenal still won.

In September, Chamakh scored against Bolton, Braga, and Partizan. All wins. Now, Arsenal drew vs Sunderland, which was a mental match all together. Ya know that one where Cesc scored from waaaaaay out off a deflection and then was injured consequentially.  And then Arsenal lost to WBA, at home. Another strange fixture.  All in All, in matches Chamakh was involved in, Arsenal won three; drew one; lost one. Worth mention is that the Arsenal crushed Spurs in the Carling Cup. Cham wasn’t involved. Just a friendly reminder.

In October, Arsenal lost to Chelsea Away. Cham suffered in this match versus some very physical CBs. Chamakh then scored the winner vs Brum; scored again vs Braga; put in an impressive, high-effort shift vs Man Citi in another Away win. One could argue Bendtner stole the goal that was to be Chamakh’s, shortly after he was subbed out. Arsenal then stole a very, very late three points vs West Ham. Another full 90 for Chamakh. All in all, 4 wins when Cham played with one loss versus Chelsea. Arsenal also won vs Newcastle in a Carling Cup match, which Chamakh was rested for.

In November, the whispers of Robin’s return began to surface again. Arsenal lost to Shakhtar Away…a match Bendtner was favored to start over Chamakh. And then a home loss to Newcastle in league play. A match where Chamakh started but was replaced by RVP in the 57th minute. I can’t help but think losing Cham’s height hurt when Carroll scored the match-winner.  Chamakh returned in the next match with two Away goals vs Wolves; another full 90 in an emphatic Arsenal Away win to Everton; scored in Arsenal’s 2-3 collapse vs arch-rivals, Spurs. Again, Bendtner got the nod over Chamakh in an Away loss to Braga. Arsenal then won Away 4-2 vs Villa with Chamakh playing a full 90. Worth mention is that Cham got the third goal, essentially putting the game out of Villa’s reach. And something Arsenal has trouble doing. Again, Chamakh was rested in the last Carling Cup clash of the month Vs Wigan. In short, in matches that Bendtner got the start over Chamakh, Arsenal lost. And, even though the team collectively collapsed, Chamakh did score to put the Arsenal up 2-nil versus Spurs.  For the month, when Cham started Arsenal won three of five premiership matches. It wasn’t the best month for him but he can’t be blamed as he did put in very good shifts, even in the losses.

In December, Chamakh was dropped in favor of RVP. Chamakh started and played a full 90 as Arsenal beat Fulham. Arsenal won again vs Partizan, another match Chamakh started. Notably, Chamakh started next to RVP, who had just returned to fitness and played a full 90. A pairing of strikers I’d be happy to see more often.  Chamakh then played a full 90 vs United Away, and Arsenal lost to a very unfortunate and lucky flick by Park.  After that match, Chamakh was dropped. Arsenal then beat Chelsea 3-1 and Cham played a substitute role. And then Arsenal drew Away to Wigan, and Chamakh returned to the starting line-up because, inexplicably, RVP was rested.

And then come January till May Arsenal fans only saw Chamakh in a substitute role.

Many argue that if you have a fit RVP then you start him. I can agree…if Arsenal play in a 442 and Theo plays as the fast striker off of him. Arsenal’s left and right back spend so much time crossing to phantoms in the box that you have to have a heading specialist in the box. That is not Robin.

Yes, Robin has scored some very nice goals for the Arsenal but as Chamakh’s early form suggests, you don’t have to score to be on the winning side. Chamakh works twice as hard as Robin to defend from the striker’s position into the midfield. For the second half of the season I’ve watched RVP jog around and not really pressure the back four of defense; in contrast, Chamakh hounds them and has them cough up the ball. It’s worth mention that when Chamakh was starting and playing regularly, Nasri was producing far more and getting more opportunities to goal. Robin’s relaxed defense from the Striker’s position doesn’t create the opportunity for the midfield to win unsettled passes and then counter quickly. And, of course, Robin is not a natural central striker like Chamakh and/or Bendtner.

One could argue that the dynamic of the team changed when Wenger dropped Chamakh. Wenger probably cites Chamakh’s lack of scoring as reason enough to drop him. I tend to think we should have kept him playing until Arsenal stopped winning with him in the squad. But with Robin’s star power, it was never going to happen.

So, since Chamakh was dropped Arsenal won 13 matches in all competitions; lost 5; drew 9. The draws are most notable because even though Robin may have been scoring, Arsenal still won but drew oh so many. I tried to explain on Twitter that scoring goals means fucking nothing if you don’t win. And in many matches that Chamakh played but didn’t score, Arsenal won. It was a rarity that we drew when he started. There are so many variables as to why draws become wins and I like to think that the difference was Chamakh’s leadership from the front line. Cham works so very hard for the shirt, always pressuing the back four into mistakes. And this helps the midfield win errant passes and disrupt an imbalanced midfield and back line. Narsi flourished off of this disruption and quick, incisive Arsenal counter-attacks. This happens all cuz of one Gooner’s effort. An effort I’d like to see from Robin because, well, he’s the golden boy and gets the nod weekly. It’s just a shame, to me, as a footballing fan to see that our manager would drop a player, not so much cuz of a dip of form but because of favoritism and star power. I just wonder what would have happened if we had seen Chamakh more often from the start. Maybe alongside Robin with Theo whipping crosses to him. We’re unlikely to ever know, too. Wenger will continue the 433 and Cham will be left to erode on the bench or until Robin inevitably gets injured again. It’s a damn shame. And, again, it comes down to selection and formation. And it’s Wenger’s fault.

ArsenaLos