Chelsea need to beat Roy Hodgson's side today to keep up their hopes of securing a top four
finish come the end of the season.
Not exact matches
While we don't expect much in the way
of managerial changes at the top
end of the table between now and the
end of the
season, it's worth considering whose job might
come under threat if the desired climax to the campaign is not secured — be that a top four
finish, a trophy, or just to remain respectable.
Up front we have a few world - class players surrounded by some serious pretenders... Sanchez is by far the most accomplished player in our attack but the controversy surrounding his contractual mishandling could see him go before the window closes or most definitely by
season's
end... obviously a mistake by both parties involved, as Sanchez's exploits have never been more on display than in North London, but the club's irresponsible wage structure and lack
of real intent have been the real undoing in this mess... Lacazette, who I think has some world - class skills as a front man, will only be as good as the players and system around him, which is troubling due to our current roster and Wenger's love
of sideways passing... Walcott should have been sold years ago, enough said, and Welbeck should never have been brought in from the get - go... both
of these players have suffered numerous injuries over their respective careers and neither are good enough to overcome such difficulties: not to mention, they both are below average first - touch players, which should be the baseline test for any player
coming to a Wenger - led Arsenal team... Perez should have been played wide left or never purchased at all; what a huge waste
of time and money, which is ridiculous considering our penny pinching ways and the fact that fans had been clamoring for a real striker for years... finally Giroud, the fact that he stills wears the jersey is a direct indictment
of this club's failure to get things right... this isn't necessarily an attack on Giroud because I think he has some highly valued skills, but not for a team that has struggled to take their sideways soccer to the next level, as his presence slows their game even more, combined with our average, at best,
finishing skills... far too often those in charge have either settled or chosen half - measures and ultimately it is us that suffer because no matter what happens Wenger, Gazidis and Kroenke will always make more money whereas we will always be the ones paying for their mistakes... so every time someone suggests we should just shut - up and support the team just think
of all the sacrifices you've made along the way and simply reply... f *** off
Come end of season Man City
finished first followed by Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
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
i mean, for Wenger to be scared
of a team that he's consistently
finished above
come the
end of the
season just sounds laughable.
Final Thought If Arsenal can
finish with 35 points or more
come the 28th
of December with an away fixture against the Hammers, Wenger's men would have given themselves a good chance
of finishing in the top 4 at the
end of the 2014/15 Premier League
season.
As Arsenal embark on a mighty crucial phase
of their campaign, Giroud's form in front
of goal will be crucial to their chances
of finishing in the top 4
come the
end of this
season.
Spanish international Alvaro Morata had put the Blues one goal to the good earlier in the half, however Eriksen's thunderbolt saw the two rivals go into the break all square in a match that both are desperate to win in order to boos their chances
of finishing in the top four
come the
end of the
season.
players like Ozil always present the fans with a bit
of a conundrum, especially when times are tough... if you look around the sporting world every once in awhile there emerges a player with incredible skill, like Ozil, Matt Sundin or even Jay Cutler, who have a different way about themselves... their movement seemed almost too lackadaisical, so much so that it seemed to suggest indifference or even disinterest on the part
of the player... their posture always appears somewhat mopey and they generally have an unflattering «sour puss» expression on their face... for some their above average skills are enough to keep them squarely in the mix, as their respective teams try desperately to find a way to get the best out
of them visa vie player acquisitions or the reworking
of tactics... when things go according to planned the fans usually find a way to accept their unique disposition, whereas when things go awry they become easy targets for fans and pundits alike... in the case
of Ozil and Sundin, their successes on the international stage and / or with their former teams led many to conclude that if we surrounded such talented individuals with players that have those skills that would most likely bring the best
of these players success would surely follow... unfortunately both the Maple Leafs and our club chose to adopt half - measures, as each were being run by corporations who valued profitability over providing the best possible product on the field... for them, they cared more about shirt sales and
season tickets than doing whatever was necessary... this isn't, by any stretch, an attempt to absolve Ozil
of any responsibility for his failures on the pitch... there is no doubt oftentimes his efforts were underwhelming, to say the least, but this club has been inept when it
comes to providing this prolific passer with the kind
of players necessary for him to flourish... with our poor man's version
of Benzema up front, the headless chickens in Walcott, the younger Ox and Welbeck occupying wide positions far too often and the fact that Carzola, who provided Ozil with great service and more freedom to roam, was never truly replaced, the only real skilled outlet on the pitch was Sanchez... remember to be considered a world - class set - up man goals need to be scored and for much
of his time here he has been surrounded by some incredibly inept
finishers... in the
end, I'm not sure how long he will be in North London, recent sentiments and his present contract situation seem to suggest that he will depart at
season's
end, but how tragic would it be if once again we didn't put our best foot forward and failed to make those moves that could have brought championship football back to our once beloved club... so when you think about this uniquely skilled player don't be so quick to shift all the blame on his shoulders because he will not be the first or the last highly skilled player to find disappointment at the Emirates if we don't rid the club
of those individuals that are truly to blame for our current woes
The best we can hope for is wenger to leave at the
end of this
season and be replaced by a top, modern manager and for some
of our younger players to
come through to the first team and a top half
of the table
finish.
He has helped us cross the
finish line a few times in previous
seasons and
come the business
end of this
season, Arsenal will need him again.
It was just 19 months ago that Mathieu —
coming off a Defensive Player
of the Year - caliber
season that
ended with a torn ACL — inked a five - year, $ 62 million deal in Arizona, the kind that has players thinking they'll
finish their career in the place they started it.
Our focus at the
end of the
season should not be
finishing above Spurs, only
of course if Spurs
came in 2nd and we are 1st.
Injury crisis won't make things any easier for the North Londoners either, but Wenger has to instill character and belief within the group, if Arsenal are to
finish in the top four
come the
end of the
season.
With their chances
of a top - four
finish disappearing further into the distance Chelsea are now playing like a team who would rather that an underwhelming
season would just
come to an
end.
I bet you United
finish top scorers
come the
end of the
season with or without Berbatov.
It will be hilarious
come the
end of the
season if Arsenal
finish with a trophy (or two) and Manchester United, and Alexis Sanchez,
finish potless.
Last
season, Villa were in an extremely perilous position
coming into the business
end of the campaign, but once more Benteke thrived, scoring 11 goals in 19 games to help them secure a 17th place
finish.
Soccer Saturday pundit Matt Le Tissier has predicted how the top
of the table will look
come the
end of the
season, tipping Manchester United to
finish outside the top six.
As his incredible
season comes to an
ending it would be nice for Harry to sign off with another goal or two to
finish a
season that has seen him mature beyond any
of our expectations.
The fixtures computer should
come up with an
end result such that in each half
of the
season we play roughly half
of our home games against teams that
finished in the top half in the previous
season, and half against teams from the bottom half.
Swansea City's form has improved under Carlos Carvalhal as they look like a team who will
finish above the bottom three
come the
end of the
season, if not comfortable above.
I think they are very beatable and it well
come down to who wants it more will still have something to play for this
season what do Liverpool have you might say Europa League but are they any better going to
finish ahead
of Everton or Arsenal I don't think so as for summer signings we will already have 2 in by
end of April with G Gardner and Albrighton returning but would like to see something like this.