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Senegal's Arsenal Thread 2015/16


ajw10

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13-14 was good defensively ignoring the big game collapse. City away was down to a midfield incapable of protecting the defence (defensive structure + Flamini). Liverpool and Chelsea was destruction by pressing on the most part. We couldn't get the ball out, lose it near to our goal and they are outnumbered. Woj finished with the most clean sheets alongside Cech.

So whilst structural flaws were prevalent in those big defeats it wasn't like the team was defending awfully otherwise or that the whole season was marred by bad defensive structure. The flaw which held us back the most, inability to beat a press and the subsequent counter, isn't even close to the difficulties we faced against Carroll.

12-13 we had the second best defensive record in the league. I have been told many times on twitter that in 10-11 we had the best open play defensive record, no idea if it is accurate. My point is that to say that the coaching methods have been outdated doesn't tally up with the performances. There are defensive issues but not those which correlate with Carroll scoring a hattrick.

Our biggest issue is we don't defend counter attacks well at all because we don't press well when we lose the ball nor do we have a midfield that good at stopping counters. These issues however haven't been troubling Gabriel, he is struggling with balls over the top or basic defending in his own box.

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I think our defense in the league is fine for the most part for the same reason our attack is fine in the league for the most part: We have better players than most teams. Even when we look disjointed, one of our attackers usually come up with something. I don't think our defense is that well organized, but individually they're good enough to hold their own and bail each other out against weaker teams.

That's why we sometimes have massive collapse against big teams, like a few years ago. That's why in the UCL, where better organization is needed, we never look solid.

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To be fair, he didn't say it'll be limited. He's just saying that it's not easy to get the player we want even if we have the money (the old no better striker available argument of last summer.)

I do take offense with this quote though

"The team is going the right way"

Like....WTF? Seriously? The team is not going in the right way. There is something fundamentally wrong with the team that is preventing us from going in the right way. I have no idea what he's talking about here.

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Embarrassing to drop points yet again. How he can come out with the "the team is going in the right way" is pathetic. The only way we're going is down. We'll be lucky to make top four - the thing is I'm not even sure I care if we make it, won't change much next year if we've still got Wenger in charge anyway.

Be pretty funny to see Wenger's outrage if Liverpool win Europa, City win the CL and despite finishing 4th we don't get CL. Although doubtful that we beat City and put them in a position where they won't finish 3rd now anyway.

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You being in for the same player is also an excuse for us not to have to sign one.

Surely he has got to go out and buy a CB? He knows that all the other teams around you lot will be doing business. Koscielny picks up the odd injury from time to time to so I think he has to.

Theo and Campbell are both the same. Neither are good enough.

But focusing on Theo misses the point somewhat. Our wonderful manager made 3 dreadful subs.

Giroud coming on was understandable. All of them were actually imo. Walcott was bad when he came on but what other choice would you have done? Giroud was always going to come on. Ramsey too. Walcott/Campbell was always going to be the other one.

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Surely he has got to go out and buy a CB? He knows that all the other teams around you lot will be doing business. Koscielny picks up the odd injury from time to time to so I think he has to.

You know that, we know that but there's a massive stumbling block!!!

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Commentators are right that the crowd doesn't help in moaning at every mistake tbh

The club doesn't help by making the same ****ing mistakes all the time. It's not the fans fault.

The level of frustration has built up over the years.

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Commentators are right that the crowd doesn't help in moaning at every mistake tbh

The crowd are free to show their displeasure, no reason that their support should be unwavering & never negative.

If clubs stop looking at fans as a resource to be exploited (as a means of financial income) then maybe those fans would not be so vocal if the product they are being sold is consistently disappointing, that's not to say fans wouldn't complain if everything was free but that's the deal the club have entered into by charging so much on the basis that they are providing an entertainment product.

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I just had that feeling today, after about 10 minutes that it was a game we weren't going to win. It was just that oh-so-familiar pattern of pass, pass, pass, moving the ball back deep and inside, recycling it again - and just not enough pace. We don't take people on enough, we don't force gaps, we don't move the ball quickly enough, we don't shut down the danger quickly enough.

Pressing is haphazard and inconsistent - try looking at Atletico for how to defend. I admire their combative and abrasive style - they defend with such organisation and commitment. It's their organisation which is the most outstanding. It doesn't matter who is in goal, who plays in defence - they are unbelievable week in week out. We play the ball with so little pace, it leaves an aerial threat like Giroud with no real crosses to attack, and when he does, they are hung up too much and easy pickings for any organised keeper and centre backs. Look at Carroll last week - he peeled off and isolated a full back, because West Ham had men over to occupy the defenders. The crosses were quick enough and he got plenty of job. Welbeck works hard, adds good balance but has to improve his finishing - having said that, if we gave him chances to put away he might just do that.

I have nothing to blame Cech for today - he was a touch slow to react, but not much he could do with a shot that good. He's saved us more than enough points this season already.

I was annoyed at the subs today - Giroud for Welbeck just slowed the game up. All of a sudden Giroud doesn't fit us much anymore, and I think it's time to consider him at best a squad option now. He's served us well for a few years now, but it's time to move us along. Ramsey is good when he keeps it simply, he could learn from Elneny in that regard actually, but while he never hides when the going gets tough, he just wasn't the right player at that point in the game. We already had the right pair on in central midfield. Walcott's Arsenal career is over, and I am absolutely certain he gets sold in the summer, because he won't displace any of our right midfielders or strikers in the pecking order. Think it's harsh on Campbell, a player who is clearly not world class, but has been a hard worker, and made a difference this season when we've been really short of options, to sit on the bench and not get a chance because Walcott is here.

I'm just really really angry tonight. It's just the same defensive deficiences - whoever he plays or buys. It's the same ineffective attacking style of slow possession that has been there for years. It's the same errors from a manager who I had idolized for years, but now just resembles a stubborn man - the very epitome of Einstein's definition of insanity "repeating the same thing expecting different results". I am angry the board have just let this malaise fester in the club, as well as the fact the football soul of our club is gone from the club - Wenger is the last we have left. We have lost Dein, Fiszman, Hill-Wood, Carr, Bracewell-Smith and the others that just oozed the spirit and class of our club. Angry that the fans are split into "pro" and "anti" Wenger and not simply all Arsenal supporters. I am angry that we have no excuse for not spending money on players that can improve us, despite sitting on exorbitant amounts of money - not billionaire money, but everyday people like us for whom a season ticket, or matchday tickets and travel are actually really expensive. I'm angry that we are 7 points worse off than this time last year - a year when everyone has been dropping points for fun and a title was a realistic ambition. I'm angry that I stay up for late kick offs here and watch us at stupid times, and then get up for work knackered the next morning because I don't want to miss the games still - and it is only just dawning on me that frankly the club really don't deserve the following it gets right now.

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