by lucifer82 » Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:05 am
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.
"I would rather smother my son than let him support Tottenham." - Noel Gallagher
"It's weird, innit? You don't see any white dog shit around anymore, do ya? Not since the 70's." - Bones (AKA Perry Benson)