5 comments

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  Simon Burke.

  8 months ago

  Knowing Wenger he may not sign even then - he is very stubborn and I think now blinded by his own vision. I hope I am wrong but Arsenal are the team they should have been last year but who last year overacheived.
  
  This year we have been found out and need a proper defence, a midfield general (as said above) and possibly a striker who will fight for everything, Adebayor does not and wanted to leave anyway.
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  Josh Pedley

  8 months ago

  Not sure about the midfield general. Last year Flamini was outstanding and he is hardly a destroyer. Fabregas , Hleb, Flamini and Rosicky were all great friends and that definitely helped them on the pitch. Cesc needs time to strike up an understanding with Denilson or Diaby, who in my opinion should be played in the centre. I was at the Stoke game on Saturday and it was a tough game. Arsenal were terrible and theres no way around that. But, Wenger got it wrong by not starting Walcott or Nasri as there was no-one who could go past a player, which meant they were always playing in front of Stoke and the conditions were against Arsenal, as unless you visit Stoke's ground, you cannot appreciate just how windy it is.
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  Andrew Boyd Smith

  8 months ago

  Hull,fulham and Stoke. Arsenal shd have got a minimum of at least six points.you don't find d mu,Chelsea or Pool messing up with the likes of thes teams.That shows the mentality of the gunners. They think by just turning up three points will be in the bag.I think the epl is more competitive now compared to the early and mid 90s when the red faced was dominant save for Aw.
  When you look at the footbal played by the leading teams they do not string many pasees to get a goal. I think AW has instructed to indulge in at least twice the number of passses. Statistics will bear me out. The gunners have more possession and more shots at goal than other teams.This is where the stroy ends.
  The gunners have to take a hugher % of shots to score compared to other teams. What this means is the gunners type of play gives the opposition defenders to regroup and frustrate them.The other teams ina sweeping move will catch the defenders nad score in a flash.
  This,from my point of view,is the diference.I know i am layman and can't be doing AW's job. To illustrate by analogy. A professor could not solve a grade 2 problem. Why? he can't see the basic and goes into abstract theory to solve a problem.
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  jm

  8 months ago

  I think it is right that Arsenal need a midfield general. It does not necessarily need to be someone who fits the traditional mold and is able to physically dominate the midfield. Yet, what a solid DM can give to the side is to allow Fabregas to play further upfield. Diaby looks like Vieira, but I think he is a better player when he is allowed to roam upfield, rather than bossing the midfield. Denilson plays a bit too much like Cesc and neither are able to really fill that role. A player in that role might also take some of the pressure off the DC's.
  
  I think the need for a leader is a bit overstated. It's been the focus of a lot of the best Arsenal blogs lately, including most of the ones I respect most. I fear that Arsenal fans like myself are pinning our hopes for a quick fix on an intangible quality. I agree that Gallas doesn't *seem* like an adequate leader for the side (I'll only ever say "seem" since we don't really know what goes on behind closed doors). Better leadership might help a bit, but I think the problems are more readily identifiable things on the pitch.
  
  Besides a better DM, we could really use a commanding central defender. Sagna and Clichy are excellent full backs, and they fit their attacking role in Arsenal's system perfectly (their attacking role, however, makes the DM even more important). Toure and Gallas are both quality centerbacks, but the partnership isn't there. I'm just joining a veritable chorus on this one, but I think we need a central defender better able to contest for balls in the air, leaving Gallas or Toure to clean up.
  
  With a stronger spine, this team would be vastly improved. The quality is there from a team just four points off the title pace last season. With Nasri and Walcott getting the bulk of the playing time (I am baffled by Arsene's decision to keep them on the bench vs Stoke), this is a team that can and does score goals. What they need is consistency - and I think the inconsistent results have a lot more to do with defensive weakness up the center of the pitch rather than leadership.
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  Stevo

  8 months ago

  Fabregas should be the captain. After an impressive showing last year and in Euro 2008 this summer, it is clear that he is ready to step up and be the skipper of this young side. He is the future of Arsenal, and Wenger needs to let him lead the team.
  
  I completely disagree that this weekends fixture with ManU will be a good measure of what Arsenal is capable of. Arsenal are extremely banged up at the moment, so this is a terrible time to be playing Ronaldo and his boys. You have to let Arsenal get healthy before you can say what type of team they are going to be. Rosicky hasnt even seen the field yet this term, and he is an outstanding playmaker and finisher.
  
  I think letting senderos go over the summer was a mistake. He was the brute that Arsenal needed to toughen up the defense, although he made a number of bone headed plays. If Arsenal can get through the very difficult month that lies ahead still floating in the top 5 or 6 spots of the table, they have just as much a chance to challenge for the league as anyone. Adebyor is a great forward who goes after headers agressively, and when you combo that with Van Persie's foot skills with the ball, they make a great strike force up top. Nasri and Walcott need to play the wings, there's no question about that.
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