Blackburn Vs Arsenal | Premiership 17/09/11

[The Goats Horn]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archiv ... id-for-it-

Arsène Wenger believes Arsenal were punished for every one of their “weak moments” at Blackburn on Saturday.

The visitors were leading 2-1 and seemingly in control at Ewood Park only to ship three goals in just over 20 minutes after half time. Marouane Chamakh’s late header gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope but time ran out on the them.

Afterwards, Wenger was able to draw comfort from certain aspects of his side’s performance. However he felt the midweek trip to Europe had taken the edge off his side and all their errors were seized upon.

“The positives are that we created many chances and, away from home, that is not easy,” he said. “We dominated the game but in the weak moments we had we were not strong enough to resist. We didn’t have many weak moments in the game but, every time we had one, we paid for it.

“We gave a lot at Dortmund [on Tuesday]. It is difficult to go away from home in the Champions League and go away again on Saturday morning. You could see in the second half that it had an influence. But it is the same for everybody and we have to deal with that.

“It is two different results because, on Saturday, I felt it was a lack of sharpness. It was a bit unfortunate as well because we had two deflections in our own goal. But overall we never looked completely secure enough.”

[Lee71*98*02]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/-when-we-had-a-weak-moment-we-paid-for-it-

Arsène Wenger believes Arsenal were punished for every one of their “weak moments” at Blackburn on Saturday.

The visitors were leading 2-1 and seemingly in control at Ewood Park only to ship three goals in just over 20 minutes after half time. Marouane Chamakh’s late header gave Arsenal a glimmer of hope but time ran out on the them.

Afterwards, Wenger was able to draw comfort from certain aspects of his side’s performance. However he felt the midweek trip to Europe had taken the edge off his side and all their errors were seized upon.

“The positives are that we created many chances and, away from home, that is not easy,” he said. “We dominated the game but in the weak moments we had we were not strong enough to resist. We didn’t have many weak moments in the game but, every time we had one, we paid for it.

“We gave a lot at Dortmund [on Tuesday]. It is difficult to go away from home in the Champions League and go away again on Saturday morning. You could see in the second half that it had an influence. But it is the same for everybody and we have to deal with that.

“It is two different results because, on Saturday, I felt it was a lack of sharpness. It was a bit unfortunate as well because we had two deflections in our own goal. But overall we never looked completely secure enough.”

Doesnt ever make any excuses does he?

[S4cePL]

can't believe this thread's made it to 32 pages...

would a mod delete 31 of 'em and just leave the following link as the sole comment to this game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcNhDstL4-k

[The Goats Horn]

Watched the goals again on MOTD2 and ........




Nah I'm moving on....roll on Shrewsbury

[lucifer82]

I'm all over Twitter at the moment, readin the Twitter pages of some of the more well respected blogs. Which is leadin me to ask this? In terms of the team, is our current plight down to formation or the level of ability of our players? Or both?

I don't know how far back I can remember, but I have images of Villa hittin us on the counter at the Grove. With what seemed like the outfield players in the opposition half and at least 6 or 7 in the final third. We lost, AgbonIsAWhore rapin us, if my memory serves, but I do remember thinkin at the time "This is suicidal. What team does that? Gotta be a one off." But over time, whether we'd concede or infact lose games, I'd see that in our game. Especially at home. Now it's a trademark of our game. We do it all the time.

I don't think all our players live up to their reputations. If anythin, our current plight could well be showin the level of ability we have at the Football Club. But the only two real opinions I have based on observations are:

1. I don't think alot, indeed most of our squad know or realise the amount of expectation it takes to play for Arsenal. Whether that expectation comin from the fans or the outside, ie media. Can that be put down to age and where they're from? Forget the new signins for now, but we pull in these "no names" from all over the world, all young and inexperienced and they're expected to win titles and cups in the hardest league in the world. Against opposition who assort their teams with seasoned internationals and winners. That for me is part explanotary for our fuckin rabbit in the headlights defendin or the times when we crumble.

2. I think I do have a problem with the formation/style we play because whatever Arsene or anyone says, we did, maybe even still do try to model our game on the Barca way. Now, none of our players are educated that way, except the ones we leech from their academy. It's very hard to change a 16, 17, 18 and even older than that, idea of how to play, you can't just inject with that instinct. Our play towards the back of last season and indeed this, is painful to watch. In the final third, the passin is not quick and intricate enough, the movement is not there, so the plays slow down, the opposition regroup and it becomes a chess game. So players like Song start gettin involved, meanin really only the two CB's are not in the opposition final third. More often than not, our possesion gets broken, for the reasons I said before and we get hit on the break. Our front 3 or 4 have licence to roam, so when we lose the ball, nobody seems to have any idea of who to go, what zone to get in. Now even if the opposition don't score from the resultin break, because we're so open and vulnerable, we find ourselves scamperin back or makin last ditch tackles and that to me seems to the catalyst for the panic we have on the defensive side of the game. The lack of organisation or a system has bred this fear in us when we don't have the ball. If anythin, when the team attacks they're scared to lose the ball incase we get hit on the break, therefore makin our attackin threat less spontaneous and effective.

Ultimately though, I can't pin it all on tactics and what not. We lack desire. I truly believe that. I saw Levante against Real Madrid yesterday and I admired how their players, players who even their own mothers dont know their names, when they lost the ball, chased and harried and pressured to get it back. If we did that just for a portion of a game, that in turn would put pressure and doubt in the oppositions mind, stiflin them confidence wise, therefore makin them less effective. But we don't. We have it, you have it, we have it, you have it.

[The Goats Horn]

This says it all really...

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archiv ... rn-chamakh

Throughout the 2011/12 season we're giving you the chance to choose your Arsenal Man of the Match.

Arsène Wenger's side faced Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League on Saturday. The game finished 4-3 and after the match we asked fans to vote for their star performer.

They voted in their thousands on Arsenal.com and selected Marouane Chamakh as their Man of the Match.

The striker received 24 per cent of the fans' votes in our poll.

Mikel Arteta finished second with 23 per cent with Gervinho receiving 19 per cent of the vote.

[Inchpräctice]

Should've been Arteta imo.

[ThereIsBearCüm]

Chamakh? Really? He barely touched the ball

[CynicalGooner]

Should've been Arteta imo.

Yeah, he had a very good game. Shame it was so completely overshadowed

[GunnGunn]

I think maybe it might be a bit of a ploy by Goners to get him to start firing again, it was his first Prem goal in something like 9 months.

[Inchpräctice]

I think maybe it might be a bit of a ploy by Goners to get him to start firing again, it was his first Prem goal in something like 9 months.

I thought the same.

Let's hope it works, if anyone needs a lift mentally it's him.