Stewart Downing — 6 The game passed
him by on both sides of the pitch, but he was useful in supporting Wisdom defensively when on the right hand side.
Not exact matches
but, im ok with this vardy transfer... it shows us many things: 1) wenger is changing, something some
of us have been demanding for a long time; 2) it shows that wenger is taking risks: think about it, he is buying a men for a not cheap price, knowing he could not getting anything after, with a future sell i mean... this is an act that shows wengers intentions to win something, the buy is not motivated
by any financial or economic reason but only for a «get the f epl once again» reason... this is an act that shows us hungry, even if we fail, we could said we try... first ever, we really try; 3) finally but very important... vardy is the kind
of player we need... he is a warrior, a fighter... he has character... look at how he celebrate his goals... full
of energy... he, like alexis, can motivate the team when the things are not going in our way (something wenger cant do because
of his age and because he has never been an active coach
on the
pitch)... the vardy transfer, if it finish well, is a demostration
of a change, and a good one... lets take care
of winning things and do nt look the economic
side for once... vardy is a bit old, but we can give a chance to welbeck after maybe, or akpom... u are not thinking about the future when we talk about ibra... guys: u complain when wenger do nt spend or because he is always looking for the bargain when u are the guys who has to pay the very expensive tickets... u complain when wenger buy the always for the future guy... like morata... stop to complain for everything and be consequent with yourself... i would love auba, but it is not going to happen... lukaku is awesome but the asking price is stupid... lets try with vardy, give us the throphy..
There is still time for Arsenal to rescue the campaign and lift the EPL trophy in May and I'm sure that all Gooners will be Geordies for the night when Newcastle take
on Leicester tonight, but it will take an epic comeback like the one produced
by the Arsenal
side of the late 80s, the one in the film Fever
Pitch that blew a promising position and then went
on a late run that culminated in a title decider
on the last day at Anfield.
Iwobi has proven to be an amazing talent going forward, but seems to have let his
side down a little in the other half
of the
pitch, and he himself admitted that he is not the finished article,
by posting
on his Instagram, saying: «Still Got A Lot To Learn...»
This is an incredibly difficult question to answer for a variety
of reasons, most importantly because over the years our once vaunted «beautiful» style
of play has become a shadow
of it's former self, only to be replaced
by a less than stellar «plug and play» mentality where players play out
of position and adjustments / substitutions are rarely forthcoming before the 75th minute... if you look at our current players, very few would make sense in the traditional Wengerian system... at present, we don't have the personnel to move the ball quickly from deep - lying position, efficient one touch midfielders that can make the necessary through balls or the disciplined and pacey forwards to stretch defences into wide positions, without the aid
of the backs coming up into the final 3rd, so that we can attack the defensive lanes in the same clinical fashion we did years ago...
on this current squad, we have only 1 central defender
on staf, Mustafi, who seems to have any prowess in the offensive zone or who can even pass two zones through so that we can advance play quickly out
of our own end (I have seen some inklings that suggest Holding might have some offensive qualities but too early to tell)... unfortunately Mustafi has a tendency to get himself in trouble when he gets overly aggressive
on the ball... from our backs out wide, we've seen pace from the likes
of Bellerin and Gibbs and the spirited albeit offensively stunted play
of Monreal, but none
of these players possess the skill - set required in the offensive zone for the new Wenger scheme which requires deft touches, timely runs to the baseline and consistent crossing, especially when Giroud was playing and his ratio
of scored goals per clear chances was relatively low (better last year though)... obviously I like Bellerin's future prospects, as you can't teach pace, but I do worry that he regressed last season, which was obvious to Wenger because there was no way he would have used Ox as the right
side wing - back so often knowing that Barcelona could come calling in the off - season, if he thought otherwise... as for our midfielders, not a single one, minus the more confident Xhaka I watched played for the Swiss national team a couple years ago, who truly makes sense under the traditional Wenger model... Ramsey holds onto the ball too long, gives the ball away cheaply far too often and abandons his defensive responsibilities
on a regular basis (doesn't score enough recently to justify): that being said, I've always thought he does possess a little something special, unfortunately he thinks so too... Xhaka is a little too slow to ever boss the midfield and he tends to telegraph his one true strength, his long ball play: although I must admit he did get a bit better during some points in the latter part
of last season... it always made me wonder why whenever he played with Coq Wenger always seemed to play Francis in a more advanced role
on the
pitch... as for Coq, he is way too reckless at the wrong times and has exhibited little offensive prowess yet finds himself in and around the box far too often... let's face it Wenger was ready to throw him in the trash heap when injuries forced him to use Francis and then he had the nerve to act like this was all part
of a bigger Wenger constructed plan... he like Ramsey, Xhaka and Elneny don't offer the skills necessary to satisfy the quick transitory nature
of our old offensive scheme or the stout defensive mindset needed to protect the defensive zone so that our offensive players can remain aggressive in the final third...
on the front end, we have Ozil, a player
of immense skill but stunted
by his physical demeanor that tends to offend, the fact that he's been played out
of position far too many times since arriving and that the players in front
of him, minus Sanchez, make little to no sense considering what he has to offer (especially Giroud); just think about the quick counter-attack offence in Real or the space and protection he receives in the German National team's midfield, where teams couldn't afford to focus too heavily
on one individual... this player was a passing «specialist» long before he arrived in North London, so only an arrogant or ignorant individual would try to reinvent the wheel and / or not surround such a talent with the necessary components... in regards to Ox, Walcott and Welbeck, although they all possess serious talents I see them in large part as headless chickens who are
on the injury table too much, lack the necessary first - touch and / or lack the finishing flair to warrant their inclusion in a regular starting eleven; I would say that,
of the 3, Ox showed the most upside once we went to a back 3, but even he became a bit too consumed
by his pending contract talks before the season ended and that concerned me a bit... if I had to choose one
of those 3 players to stay
on it would be Ox due to his potential as a plausible alternative to Bellerin in that wing - back position should we continue to use that formation... in Sanchez, we get one
of the most committed skill players we've seen
on this squad for some years but that could all change soon, if it hasn't already
of course... strangely enough, even he doesn't make sense given the constructs
of the original Wenger offensive model because he holds onto the ball too long and he will give the ball up a little too often in the offensive zone... a fact that is largely forgotten due to his infectious energy and the fact that the numbers he has achieved seem to justify the means... finally, and in many ways most crucially, Giroud, there is nothing about this team or the offensive system that Wenger has traditionally employed that would even suggest such a player would make sense as a starter... too slow, too inefficient and way too easily dispossessed... once again, I think he has some special skills and, at times, has showed some world - class qualities but he's lack
of mobility is an albatross around the necks
of our offence... so when you ask who would be our best starting 11, I don't have a clue because
of the 5 or 6 players that truly deserve a place in this
side, 1 just arrived, 3 aren't under contract beyond 2018 and the other was just sold to Juve... man, this is theraputic because following this team is like an addiction to heroin without the benefits
Yes this was a bad one, the kind
of freak injury that leads not only to the end
of a career but also leaves fellow players vomiting
by the
side of the
pitch (a surefire sign that something
on the field
of play is a little amiss!).
Nothing like one underachiever blowing smoke up the ass
of another... we know that Ozil has some incredible technical gifts, but to be considered the best you have to bring more than just assists to the table... for me, a top player has to possess a more well - rounded game, which doesn't mean they need to be a beast
on both ends
of the
pitch, but they must have the ability to take their game to another level when it matters most... although he amassed some record - like stats early
on, it set the bar too high, so when people expected him to duplicate those numbers each year the pressure seemed to get the best
of our soft - spoken star... obviously that's not an excuse for what has happened in the meantime, but it's important to make note
of a few things: (1) his best year was a transition year for many
of the traditionally dominant teams in the EPL, so that clearly made the numbers appear better than they actually were and (2) Wenger's system, or lack thereof, didn't do him any favours;
by playing him out
of position and
by not acquiring world - class striker and / or right -
side forward that would best fit an Ozil - centered offensive scheme certainly hurt his chances to repeat his earlier peformances, (3) the loss
of Cazorla, who took a lot
of pressure off Ozil in the midfield and was highly efficient when it came to getting him the ball in space, negatively impacted his effectiveness and (4) he likewise missed a good chunk
of games and frankly never looked himself when he eventually returned to the field... overall the Ozil experiment has had mixed reviews and rightfully so, but I do have some empathy for the man because he has always carried himself the same way, whether for Real or the German National team, yet he has only suffered any lengthy down periods with Arsenal... to me that goes directly to this club's inability to surround him with the necessary players to succeed, especially for someone who is a pass first type
of player; as such, this simply highlights our club's ineffective and antiquated transfer policies... frankly I'm disappointed in both Ozil and our management team for not stepping up when it counted because they had a chance to do something special, but they didn't have it in them... there is no one that better exemplifies our recent history than Ozil, brief moments
of greatness undercut
by long periods
of disappointing play, only made worse
by his mopey posturing like a younger slightly less awkward Wenger... what a terribly waste
I don't care where the club ends up
by the end
of that season, but I do know that I won't be as frustrated with the way they play
on the
pitch as I have been for at least four years now, since their failing tika - taka
side pass, back pass style
of football became too obvious.
The fact is that this team has waited a long time to have such a vocal and focused leader
on the
pitch who likewise possessed such talents, whereas this club, instead
of embracing his passion to succeed
by bringing in the necessary transfers and handing him the armband, they seemed to
side with the overpaid and under - performing lesser lights.
On Sundays young London travels out
of town to the Hackney Marshes, where 111 football
pitches lie
side by side, each
of them the scene
of a small war, clean but hard, in fidelity to the English sporting ethos.
Chelsea host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge
on Sunday evening, and the Blues could be rocked
by injury news
on both
sides of the
pitch.
Imagine the deflation felt
by Paul Clement's
side if they leave the
pitch to learn
of a Hull City win
on Saturday.
Its been obvious to most that this squad
of players has not been right since the end
of that 1st great season under Bilic orchestrated
on the
pitch by Payet.This was followed
by a disastrous Summer window when we bought bulk instead
of quality, top that off with the Payet wanting to leave fiasco and we have never been the same since.Odd good displays which flattered to deceive but in general a gradual and consistent decline to the bottom.Moyes has inherited this group and i can honestly not see how it will change until January in the transfer market.He will not get a bumper warchest to improve thats for sure and who would want to buy some
of these under achievers to create money for new buys.Its a mess and has been since that awful Summer transfer window plus
on top
of which far too many
of this lot have under achieved drastically be it new players we have bought or the OLD boys.Its an ageing
side especially at the back and needs a serious overhaul.
This
of course was masked
by us reaching Wembley for the 2016 FA Cup Final against our friends from the red
side of Manchester, however, it was clearly going very wrong
on the
pitch in the league, woeful performances, no gusto
on display.
Such was the home
side's control, centre - back Joel Matip attempted the most passes
of any player
on the
pitch (120), closely followed
by defensive partner Ragnar Klavan with 118.
Looking
on the bright
side, there's nothing this year's Pirates team lacks that mightn't be remedied
by improvement in the areas
of pitching, hitting, and fielding.
Not that it mattered, for there were no latches to keep them out and nobody within calling distance except Uncle Potty
on the other
side of the jhora ravine, who would be drunk
on the floor
by this hour, lying still but feeling himself
pitch about — «Don't mind me, love,» he always told Sai after a drinking bout, opening one eye like an owl, «I'll just lie down right here and take a little rest --» They had come through the forest
on foot, in leather jackets from the Kathmandu black market, khaki pants, bandanas — universal guerilla fashion.
You can easily hitchhike or
pitch a tent
by the
side of the road to save
on accommodation, but also to experience a true adventure.