It’s The Midfield, Stupid

Posted on 23/05/2012 by
Image

Your 2011-12 Arsenal Midfield…

During the 1992 Presidential election, Bill Clinton uttered the now famous words, “it’s the economy, stupid.” That phrase came to symbolize his campaign. He defeated the incumbent George H. W. Bush by keeping the focus of the election squarely where it belonged; America’s struggling economy. Today, that famous phrase could be applied to Arsenal and the summer ahead, but with one simple alteration: it’s the midfield, stupid.

Robin van Persie is Arsenal’s captain and best player. Indeed, he was the best player in England this season. For that reason, it is completely understandable that his decision whether to remain at Arsenal dominates the discussion among supporters and media alike. But it probably shouldn’t. Because whether RVP stays or goes, one thing seems clear, Arsenal won’t win anything unless the midfield is dramatically improved.

There were a lot of claims this season that Arsenal were a one-man team. Some of those claims are fair when considering that van Persie scored the overwhelming majority of Arsenal’s goals, and provided the second most assists on the team. But that’s not entirely unique. In season’s past, Thierry Henry was similarly important to Arsenal’s goal tally. Even Emmanuel Adebayor “carried” the team in 2007-2008 when he scored 29 goals in 41 appearances.

In 2006-2007 when Arsenal’s goal scoring was evenly distributed among five players in double digits, the team finished a distant fourth and scored only 63 Premier League goals, a meager total under Wenger. This season, Arsenal managed a relatively healthy 74 goals in the league, despite having only one proven goal scorer. And when you look at other successful teams throughout Europe, it is not uncommon to find a single goal-scorer that stands above the rest.

There is no denying that RVP was essential to Arsenal’s success this past season. But if RVP was the best player in England, and he never missed a single Premier League fixture, then why were Arsenal only able to finish in third place, a distant 19 points off the title? Why wasn’t his epic season enough to carry Arsenal to a title challenge? It’s fair to point out that the two Manchester clubs set a blistering pace and finished with impressive point totals. But it’s also fair to point out that our defense was atrocious. Arsenal finished with only 3 fewer away goals scored than City and two fewer than United. Yet we conceded an astonishing 15 more than City and 18 more than United. That’s in just 19 games! Even removing the whopping 8 goals conceded at Old Trafford, the gap is sizable.

So let’s assume that RVP hadn’t had his epic season. Let’s say that he had scored a more modest 22 goals. That still would have left us even with Sp*rs and one ahead of Chelsea for Premier League goals scored this season. But if that decline in RVP’s output had been matched by a goals-against tally that was more consistent with Arsenal’s title winning sides, we could’ve been genuine contenders. After all, the Invincibles scored one fewer goal than the 2011-2012 side. But they conceded an astounding 23 goals fewer.

Perhaps you’d rather compare to a slightly less extraordinary Arsenal side. Well how about the 2007-2008 side that fell just short of a title? Same 74 goals scored. 18 fewer conceded. And Chelsea’s title winning side that managed an impressive 95 points in 2004-2005, scored only 72 goals, but conceded a meager 15 the entire season.

All this unscientific statistical analysis is making my head hurt. But the conclusion I draw from it is that RVP’s goals were so important to this Arsenal side because the defense was so lousy. Had we defended with even the slightest competency for most of the season we could’ve coasted to third with even a pedestrian goal tally from our captain. So as far as I’m concerned, if we want to get back to the top of the heap, we need to stop shipping goals faster than John Terry changes outfits. And if that’s the case, why have I said that we need to focus on improving the midfield? Because, in my opinion, that’s where the problems begin.

We have a better ‘keeper now than we’ve had in years. Whether he’s the finished article is another story, but he’s already better than Almunia. Our defense might not be the best in the league but there’s loads of talent there. Sagna is one of the best right-backs in the world defensively. Most of us rate Koscielny, Vermaelen and Mertesacker. That’s not to say they’re all world beaters, but they are certainly competent defenders. And Santos and Gibbs have performed admirably this season for the most part. So why is this defense shipping vastly more goals than sides that routinely featured Silvestre, Djourou, Squillaci, Eboue, Traore and Almunia? It can’t be down to the quality of personnel alone.

I think it’s interesting that Arsenal dramatically improved in one defensive area this season over previous campaigns. Our percentage of goals conceded to set pieces dropped considerably. I think that’s one statistic where the quality of your defenders and goal-keeper is really on display. Ball into the box. Their attackers versus your defenders. Easy way to see how you stack up. In the past we stacked up poorly. This season we were much better. And I think that’s due to the upgrade in quality at the back.

But Arsenal conceded an avalanche of goals this season from open play. We conceded the worst percentage of goals to shots allowed in the entire league. And that’s where you start to see the problem. This Arsenal side was constantly caught out of position and outnumbered at the back. We didn’t concede goals because we had poor defenders and a weak goal-keeper. We conceded goals because those defenders were often left horribly exposed and the opposition was repeatedly gifted the easiest of chances. In my opinion, that’s down to the midfield.

Arsenal used to have Vieira and Gilberto Silva in midfield. They were disciplined, reliable and rarely out of position. If you wanted to score against Arsenal, you had to get past them first. But we also had midfielders that used the ball intelligently. We had midfielders who could be trusted to retain possession and create scoring chances. This season, that changed.

Arsenal created very little from midfield this season. It’s easy to point to Alex Song’s assist total to discredit my argument. And you’d be right to some extent. Alex Song did provide an impressive 13 assists in all competitions this season. But that’s endemic of the larger problem. Song was depended upon to push further and further up the pitch as the midfield struggled to create chances. He became increasingly encouraged to try low percentage passes as the attack stagnated in midfield. Rather than maintaining his discipline and focusing on his defensive responsibilities, Song was often deep in the opposition half trying to fashion a scoring chance.

Alex Song completed 84.3% of his passes this season. That was the worst percentage of any regular Midfielder. But he attempted the second most passes on the team behind Arteta, who lead the team in completion percentage. That means that our defensive midfielder was playing plenty of passes that went astray. He was also dispossessed more than twice as much as Arteta and had nearly double the turnovers. I am a huge fan of Alex Song, but there’s no denying that his forays up the pitch and his carelessness with the ball caused plenty of problems for our defense.

It’s not hard to think of an example to support this theory. You need only look back to Norwich’s third goal in that nearly devastating draw at the Emirates just a few short weeks ago. It was Song’s needless Hollywood pass that gave the ball to Norwich in an excellent position to catch out our defense. Only moments later, the Canaries were level. And we saw plenty of examples like that throughout the season.

Aaron Ramsey is another player who has to take his share of the responsibility. Again, I’m a big fan of Ramsey and I believe he has a bright future ahead of him. I don’t believe Arsene Wenger ever expected him to play as much football this season as he did. But one way or another, Ramsey started at the heart of midfield 27 times for Arsenal this season, and made another 7 appearances from the bench. He contributed some grit and determination at times, but more often than not, he contributed scoring opportunities for the opposition. It’d be easy to point to Ramsey’s paucity of goals and assists as the biggest flaw in his game. But more concerning is the fact that he comfortably lead the team in average times dispossessed per game, and was second in turnovers.

Arsenal play an attack-minded brand of football. It’s not uncommon for both full-backs to be in the opposition half. So when the ball is lost in midfield, it’s easy for the opposition to counter. For that reason, there’s a lot of pressure on the Arsenal midfield to make good decisions with the ball and be strong in possession. Ramsey and Song too often failed to provide that reliability and it was our exposed defense that frequently paid the price.

The one shining light in midfield this season was Mikel Arteta. He was reliable, hard-working, and rarely gave the ball away in a bad position. As I mentioned, he lead the team in pass completion percentage, was dispossessed 61 fewer times than Ramsey, and had 37 fewer turnovers. He was the glue that held a weak midfield together. He was so crucial to the operation of the midfield and the fortunes of the side overall, that the only Premier League game Arsenal won in his absence was on the final day of the season thanks to comical goal keeping from Martin Fulop. And without Arteta, Arsenal managed only one clean sheet, at home to Chelsea, when they rested most of their best players.

But the problems in midfield extend beyond the players who started most of the games. Because Arsenal hardly had a decent midfielder to call upon from the bench. Arshavin could’ve slotted into midfield, but he was inexplicably loaned out in January. Benayoun was deployed almost exclusively in the front three as was Oxlade-Chamberlain. In fact, if you remove Benayoun, Wilshere, Frimpong and Diaby for tactical and injury reasons, the Arsenal website lists only four midfielders. Four. Arteta, Song, Ramsey and Coquelin. (In fairness, Rosicky should be among those listed considering his important contributions in midfield this season.)

Even if you want to count Benayoun, he’s probably off this summer, and really wasn’t ever deployed in midfield. Frimpong is out with a long term injury. Diaby might well have to retire if he can’t find fitness soon, and there’s some legitimate concern about whether Jack will be back for the start of next season. How can a team so dependent upon possession and attacking football possibly expect to mount a challenge for any silverware with five fit midfielders?

To be fair, it’s hard to expect that the midfield would’ve been very good this season after last summer. Cesc Fabregas lead the major European leagues in chance creation year after year. His departure was bound to create a hole in the middle of the park that was going to be difficult to fill. And while Samir Nasri was inconsistent and rarely played in midfield, he would’ve at least given the boss another option had he stayed.

But even more important might’ve been the loss of Jack Wilshere. Wilshere’s absence forced Ramsey further into the spotlight. Jack’s work rate was something Ramsey couldn’t match. And Jack’s ability to receive the ball from the defense and move into attack without losing possession was something we desperately lacked, especially when Arteta was unavailable. I’ve heard some supporters suggest that Arsenal employed a “double pivot” in midfield. I could see that working with Cesc, Jack and Song in the side. Cesc was able to take on most of the creative duties and occasionally get support from either Jack or Song. But with Ramsey replacing Jack, and no one really replacing Cesc, the strategy failed. It lacked both creativity and defensive discipline. That deficiency was even more obvious when Arteta was out of the side.

Arsenal’s three man midfield desperately depends upon a dominant playmaker. There has to be that “quarterback” who runs the attack and sees the entire pitch. When cesc was in the side, he could take the ball anywhere in midfield and create a scoring opportunity. He linked well with the attacking trident and read their movement intuitively. That allowed Wilshere and Song to do more of the “dirty work” in the center of the pitch, while occasionally supporting the attack.

Without Cesc, there was no one who could be depended upon to start the attack in midfield. And without Jack, there was a noticeable lack of energy and tracking back. Song pushed higher up the pitch but couldn’t do what Cesc did. Ramsey hung back at times, but couldn’t keep the ball or defend like Jack. Arteta was strong in possession and added some discipline in midfield, but had so much responsibility to cover for the other two, that he rarely linked up with the attack. All-in-All the midfield lacked dynamism, yielded possession too often and exposed the defense to frequent counter attacks. Tomas Rosicky’s resurgence in form helped add some drive to midfield and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he started 8 of the 9 games in our late season winning streak. But once Arteta picked up his injury, and Ramsey was forced to replace him, the midfield was exposed once again.

If it sounds like I’m being overly negative, that’s because I am. But only in the sense that I think there’s an excellent Arsenal team waiting to blossom if we can get the midfield right. Alex Song needs another dependable holding midfielder in the side. Not only to partner with him, but to compete with him for playing time. Moreover, Arsenal need to replace Cesc. At least we need to try. There’s no Cesc Fabregas out there for us to buy, but there must be something similar. Juan Mata would’ve been a start, but that’s spilled milk at this point. Wenger needs to find someone who can play at the top of the midfield, play those killer passes into the attackers, and add some goals when the opposition defense gets pulled out of position. Finally, Arsenal need Jack Wilshere to come back and pick up where he left off. I’m a believer that Wilshere is the best player at Arsenal. Not the best player after RVP, just the best player period. What he did against Barcelona at the Emirates was nothing short of astonishing. But I think that’s the level he can provided on a regular basis once he’s back and fit. And if that’s what he can contribute, then his importance to this side cannot be overstated.

But the reality is that the deficiencies in midfield aren’t minor. Even if Jack comes back for the start of next season, and even if you have confidence in Coquelin to continue his development and Ramsey to improve dramatically, that still only leaves us with five midfielders. There’s still a lack of creativity in that group and uncertainty about their ability to keep the ball and support the defense. All the attention is on whether we keep RVP or not, but if we don’t make a few major additions to the midfield, keeping RVP is unlikely to dramatically change our fortunes. If we do makes some quality additions to the midfield, however, I believe that Arsenal can contend for trophies next season. Maybe even without our Dutch master.

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Blackburn Preview: A Chance To Make A Statement

Posted on 17/09/2011 by

Alex Song and Gervinho return from their 8 month ban

Apologies for the absence of the blog over the past few weeks. Life has been, let’s just say, “interesting.” If Arsene Wenger was my manager he would say that I’ve shown incredible “mental strength.” That is to say, I’ve shown hardly any. But the way I see it, I’m such a loyal gooner that I’ve decided to go through a very trying period of my life at the same time as Arsenal have been going through a trying period of their season. True dedication.

Today the team travels to Ewood Park to face a Blackburn side that’s struggling. They are currently propping up the table with a solitary point from their four league matches. In two home matches this season, Blackburn have yet to take a single point, scoring just one goal and conceding three. Considering that our domestic revival is comprised of one uninspired home win over a newly promoted side, this is just the opponent we would hope for at this point. That doesn’t mean the match will be easy, but you can’t ask for much more when you need an away win than playing against the side sitting bottom of the table.

For me, this is actually a very important match. Not because it’s a chance to regain some momentum. Not because every match in the league is important. I think this is a crucial match because it’s a chance to see how we look when we field our strongest possible XI.

Jack and Vermaelen are going to be out for a while. Aside from those two, we should see our first choice team today. Song and Gervinho are back from what felt like an eight month ban. Ramsey looks like he has a chance to start if he passes a late fitness test. Meanwhile, Mertesacker and Arteta should be starting to feel somewhat integrated into the side after two hard fought matches for Arsenal in the last week. All things considered, we won’t have a better team to put on the pitch until sometime in October (April?) when Vermaelen and Jack return.

There are no easy matches in the Premier League and a team sitting at the bottom of the table can always be a dangerous opponent. They will be desperate for any point they can get and that means they’ll come out of dressing room ready to battle. But in truth, if we have aspirations of a top four finish, let alone a title, then this is a match we should be able to boss.

Attention is always paid to our defensive worries, but I’ll be looking to see whether some of the dynamism returns to our attack today. We’ve looked mostly toothless in our domestic fixtures this season. Ironically, our best attacking display might have come at Old Trafford but I’d suggest that you can’t take anything positive from that performance. I would’ve expected a little more cutting edge against Swansea last weekend, but given some of the absences and the recent arrival of new faces, it was unlikely that everything would click. Especially coming off the confidence sapping loss two weeks earlier.

Now, following two decent results, and with the squad looking more settled, I’m hoping for more than just three points today. I’d really love for this Arsenal side to show signs of a true return to form. And if that’s going to happen today, then I think it has to start in the middle of the pitch.

In truth, Arsenal have had little fluency in midfield this season. Some of that is down to personnel. We’ve seen Ramsey, Rosicky, Song, Frimpong, Lansbury, Coquelin, Benayoun, Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain and even Traore all get a chance to play in midfield and it’s only the middle of September. In order for the midfield to click, the manager needs the chance to pick the same three starters for a few matches consecutively. I’d expect that Song, Arteta and Ramsey will start today if the latter is fit, and I’d imagine that will be the first choice selection until Jack returns. I suppose it’s possible that Rosicky or Benayoun could battle for Ramsey’s place if the Welshman doesn’t find his form, but at the moment, I’d say it’s Rambo’s job to lose.

Alex Song’s importance to the midfield and to the team generally cannot be overstated. He gets some stick for his occasional desire to push too far forward and he does have a habit of collecting a few too many foolish cards, but he showed in midweek just how immense he can be. Over the last few seasons, Arsenal’s winning percentage without Alex Song in the lineup has been dramatically lower than when he starts. Today he will play his first game for Arsenal in the Premier League since opening day and I think we’ll see a very different dynamic in midfield now that he’s back.

Whatever your current opinion of Cesc Fabregas, I think it’s fair to say that we’ve clearly lost one of the world’s best players. So it’s important not to compare Arteta to our dearly departed Spaniard. They’re not the same type of player, nor are they similar quality. Arteta hasn’t been overly impressive in his first two appearances but he’s shown good determination and discipline. The most disappointing aspect of his play so far has been on set pieces. He arrived at Arsenal with a reputation for being one of the better set piece specialists in the Premier League, but his deliveries so far have failed to impress. Maybe today we’ll see that side of his game come to life.

It’s unfair to expect Arteta to fill the void left by Cesc’s departure, but the fact remains that we simply have to get some creativity from the midfield. Lately, most of our attacking play has come from wide positions, which isn’t exactly our strength. Gervinho and Theo give us great pace on the wings, but I’d prefer to see them collecting through-balls played from midfield than trying to beat defenders off the dribble (Theo in particular). Our midfield has to start imposing itself on the opposition. We’ve always been able to do that in the past, but we’ve rarely seen Arsenal dominate the middle of the park this season.

I also have a feeling that today could be an exciting day for Gervinho. He was brilliant against Newcastle but was let down by poor final balls and some disappointing finishing when he did find a teammate in scoring position. Since that match, we’ve seen him shine in Europe but unavailable domestically. He could’ve had a few goals against Dortmund in midweek but was a little unlucky with his finishing. Perhaps today he can put it all together and add a few goals and assists to his already scintillating build-up play.

Ultimately, i’d take any three points we can get today. I don’t care if it comes from another scrappy performance or a classic Arsenal masterclass. But at some point you have to accept that your eyes don’t lie. If we struggle to break Blackburn down, we may have to acknowledge that this Arsenal side has some offensive deficiencies. You don’t lose players like Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas without suffering. And even with those two in the lineup last season, we saw our attack sputter during the run-in. Now they’re gone. Gervinho and Arteta are excellent players, but the proof is on the pitch. Have you seen a single performance from Arsenal in the Premier League this season that suggests this team has the attacking flair we’ve come to expect from an Arsene Wenger side? I don’t think so. But I think it’s also fair to suggest that we haven’t been able to put anything like our first choice XI on the pitch. Today we’ll come as close as possible, and hopefully we’ll see the difference. Personally, I’d feel a lot more confident about where this season is heading if we saw a classy attacking display and a comfortable victory.

Great teams don’t just win games. Great teams win games with a panache that you can instantly recognize. That doesn’t mean great teams don’t grind out results. They do. But at some point, when you watch a really great team play, you see something about them that makes you think, “they’ve got something special there.” Despite some disappointing seasons over the past few years, I’ve always seen something special in Arsenal’s play. I don’t think we’ve seen that yet this season, and hopefully today will change that. Hopefully, when the final whistle blows, we’ll be thinking “there are good things to come from this Arsenal side.”

It’s still far too early to be looking at the table, and probably premature to worry about other teams’ results. But the fact remains that with Liverpool playing Sp*rs and United hosting Chelsea on Sunday, we have a chance to gain some important ground on a few of our rivals if we get the job done today. Amazingly, seven points from five matches could still be good enough to keep us above Sp*rs, level with Liverpool and within three points of Chelsea. All things considered, that’s not so bad.

Here’s to a win and, since I’m feeling greedy, a performance that makes a statement.

Come On You Gunners!

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The Carling Cup Is Fun Again + A Podcast

Posted on 06/09/2011 by

Have you heard the one about Arsenal's bright future?

As I watched Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain create four England goals in one half of football on Monday, I couldn’t help but think, “the Carling Cup could be fun for Arsenal supporters this season.”

A few weeks ago, we might have been lamenting how dependent we would be on our young players this season. Chamberlain, Ryo, Coquelin, Jenkinson, Miquel and even Afobe looked like they might all be called upon often during this campaign. But with five experienced players arriving just before the transfer window closed, our youngsters no longer look like they’ll be needed as often. On Saturday, our starting XI will average closer to 30 years-old rather than 20 years-old for the first time in a while.

That should mean that the Carling Cup will return to its former status as a showpiece for our future stars. Ryo, Chamberlain and Jenkinson might still have the occasional role to play in the Premier League and even the Champions League, but my guess is that we’ll get our best chance to see them shine in the League Cup. Personally, I look forward to it. Considering what we went through with that particular domestic cup last season, I’m more than happy to see the manager use it as a chance to blood new talent this time around. Even though we reached the final last season, I don’t remember enjoying the Carling Cup as much as I did in seasons past, with the exception of our fantastic win at Sp*rs. Now it should be fun again.

Nothing much else to discuss today, but that doesn’t mean the blog is done. Now comes the part of the blog you put in your ears. It’s like an audio blog if you will. If only there was another way to describe it. Like a conversation about arsenal broadcast from an internet pod. As if people were inside a pod while broadcasting. Oh well, someone will come up with a word for that sometime.

Please head over to the Arse2Mouse site where Mr. Arse2Mouse has been kind invite to invite me onto his “internet pod broadcast” along with Dave Meiks.

You can find the conversation at the link below. It should appear there some time today. I admit that I was both hungover and sleep deprived so I was a bit crap. But the other two gentlemen were brilliant. Enjoy!

PLEASE CLICK HERE! www.arse2mouse.com

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Arsenal Boot Jack Wilshere

Posted on 05/09/2011 by

Vermaelened?

Before I get started, I want to thank The Squid Boy for doing a fantastic job writing the blog for the last three days. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter @thesquidboylike. Now I’m back to ruin all his good work attracting people to the blog.

There’s really only one thing to talk about with Arsenal at the moment and that’s injuries. Jack Wilshere and Thomas Vermaelen are injured and again we find ourselves lamenting the loss of key players. Arsenal have required Wilshere to wear a medical boot to prevent him from rushing back to training or doing anything that could lead to a stress fracture.

There’s been a lot of speculation that something is wrong with the training regimen at Arsenal or that there is epic incompetence within the medical staff. Both of those assumptions might be true. Then again, they might be wildly inaccurate. But it really doesn’t matter why we suffer so many injuries. What matters is that we do suffer a seemingly disproportionate number of injuries and they tend to last far longer than initially believed.

However, it’s not the number of injuries that really causes the problem at Arsenal, it’s the particular players afflicted. With all due respect to Abou Diaby, we are more than equipped to deal without him for a few days, or weeks, or months. When Tomas Rosicky was out for 18 months it was a blow to his career, but frankly, it wasn’t cataclysmic for the club. Even Theo Walcott’s injury problems haven’t had an insurmountable impact on Arsenal over the last few seasons. Unfortunately, there have been other injuries that have stopped the club’s past few seasons from culminating in parades featuring open top buses.

In every team there are a few players you feel are indispensable. Players without whom, the team cannot succeed. You could argue that Arsenal needed four specific players in the side to compete for a title last season. If Van Persie, Fabregas, Vermaelen and Szczesny had played 38 games last season, we might well have done enough to win the league. But they didn’t, so we didn’t. Instead, Van Persie and Cesc made 25 appearances, Szczesny made 15, and Vermaelen made 5. Those might be the most important statistics from Arsenal’s 2010-11 season.

If Van Persie had played the first half of last season like he played the second half, we may have entered the run-in with a lead over our rivals. That could’ve given us the confidence to push on and win the league.

Would we have shipped three goals at home to WBA if Thomas Vermaelen was leading the defense? Hard to imagine. Even harder to imagine we would’ve been historically poor on set-pieces. Or that we would’ve let a two goal lead slip to Sp*rs at home. Or a four goal lead slip at Newcastle. I don’t mean to rehash the hardships of last season, but there were definitely points dropped due to Vermaelen’s extended absence.

Then there’s Szczesny. Just as we began to see a goal-keeping star emerge, we lost our pole in the goal to a freak finger injury at Barca. I don’t need to remind you what happened after that. But I seem to remember something about a 40-year-old, unretired German starting for Arsenal after Almunia gifted a few more goals to WBA.

When a team suffers injuries, other players are forced to step up and fill the void. Squad depth is absolutely essential in modern football and no team can win the Premier League without having quality beyond the first XI. But every team has players who are so intrinsic to their success that an entire season can be lost if they are out for a prolonged period. I would suggest that Arsenal’s problems over the last few seasons haven’t been related to the number of injuries we’ve suffered, but the specific players that we’ve lost. Last Sunday we saw just how hard it can be to compete when a few key players are missing.

Once again we face the grim possibility of being without key players this season. This time it’s Jack Wilshere who’s causing the biggest worry. Jack is now expected to be out up to 3 months, but some reports suggest that his season could be in jeopardy.

Not only is this a massive blow to our current season, but it’s also a blow for the player. He’s at a crucial period of his career where he seems to improve on a weekly basis. We’ve seen with Aaron Ramsey what a year out of the game can do to a player’s development. That’s not something we want to see with Jack.

We won’t just miss Jack’s quality, but also his work-rate, passion and energy. Midfield is an area where we just lost one of the best players in the world, and we can hardly afford to see our second best midfielder missing almost a third of the season or worse.

But Jack isn’t the only concern we have now. There’s another player who could be “Vermaelened” and it’s Thomas Vermaelen. He pulled out of Belgium’s international fixture over the weekend. It could just be a minor knock that kept him out, but there are reports of a possible achilles set-back. I refuse to believe that until I hear it from the manager, but considering how immense he’s looked when he’s played this season, his loss would be extremely deflating. His leadership is almost more important than his quality, and while I’m excited for Mertesacker to begin his Arsenal career, any lengthy absence for Vermaelen could create some anxiety-inducing scenarios. Let’s just say it brings Squillaci back into the first team picture and leave it at that.

If you asked me which two players we could least afford to lose this season, Jack and Vermaelen would be the first on my list. Perhaps they will both be back sooner than expected, but if they are not, then it’s very worrying. It also completely changes my expectations for our season as a whole. With Jack and Vermaelen in the starting XI regularly, we have a chance to compete at the highest level. But without them, it’s hard to see the team being able to produce consistently excellent performances. They are the heart and soul of our midfield and our defense respectively.

Now for the part that really annoys me. I can just about accept that our injury situation is bad luck. I’m not a doctor or a club insider and I have no proof that there’s any negligence on Arsenal’s part that has contributed to our spate of longterm absences. But I find it very difficult to accept how the club talks about our injuries publicly. In a summer of terrible public relations for Arsenal, this is another classic example.

Last season we sat around listening while the manager told us Vermaelen would be out a few days. Then a few weeks. Then a few months. Then he was nearly back in January. And then the season was over. There’s no way the club was as clueless about his situation as they acted.

This time around, we’ve been told all kinds of conflicting stories about Jack. We’ve been given no clear indication of what’s wrong with Vermaelen either. As fans I think we’re have every right to expect an honest appraisal of our injury situation. But we rarely get that. Can anyone remember why Kieran Gibbs is out right now? Any idea how long he’ll be out? It’s all just a little disappointing but not entirely surprising.

I can understand why the club must operate in a somewhat clandestine manner in some cases. However, the way we’ve been left in the dark over transfers and injuries lately has crossed the line from nondisclosure to outright dishonesty. It’s always upsetting to learn that an important player is injured. It’s even more upsetting to learn that they’ll be out long-term. But in almost every situation, it’s usually better to under-promise and over-deliver. If you tell us a player will be out for 3 months and he’s back in 2, that’s easier to take than telling us he’ll be out a few days and losing him for a season.

How far we go this season might once again come down to our luck with injuries. Already we’re off to a bad start. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, and one made all the more difficult to take when coupled with the frustratingly inaccurate information disseminated by the club. Here’s hoping they don’t have too many more injury updates to deliver in the coming months. Oh, and maybe we’ll see Diaby back soon. If I remember correctly, 10 weeks ago we were told he was going to be out about 10 weeks. Should we expect to see him playing for Arsenal any day now? I won’t hold my breath.

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Managing fan expectations

Posted on 03/09/2011 by

Maximum effort is the minimum I ask for.

(This post was written by The Squid Boy. Yankee Gunner returns tomorrow. I want to thank The Squid Boy for his help this weekend. Please follow him on Twitter @thesquidboylike.)

“If you eat caviar every day then it is difficult to return to sausages” – Arsene Wenger, November 1998

There was a moment during the recent Liverpool match at The Emirates that reminded me of the above quote. I can’t remember when it was, I can’t remember exactly what happened. All I can remember is that it was a rare positive piece of play that resulted in us winning a corner. Now the winning of a corner is always met with encouraging fan support. But this time it was different. I looked around me in the North Bank and saw raucous cheers and the pumping of fists; reactions almost akin to us scoring a goal. Had we Gooners finally accepted that sausages were the order of the day and maybe the season?

It has been a strange beginning to the campaign for the fans in the stands. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the performances on the pitch have been inversely correlated with the reaction of the faithful in the stadium, especially in domestic games.

For instance, our two worst performances – the aforementioned Liverpool game and the Mauling in Manchester – brought out some of the better qualities in our supporters. The former saw us get behind wantaway midfielder Samir Nasri while the latter ended in the away fans being given a refund on their ticket by the Club, such was the unwavering nature of their support despite enduring an 8-2 hammering.

And interestingly enough, it was our most battling performance at Newcastle that saw the now notorious “spend some f*cking money” chant rear its ugly head. I’ve mentioned before that I have no issue with the chant itself and it is fair to say those in charge needed a kick up the backside as they allowed the season to begin with the squad in a state of disarray. But I found the timing of the chant a bit off – when we’re in injury time and down to 10 men with our backs against the wall, the players need our support rather than barbs.

In the end we did indeed spend some money. This past week has season a flurry of seasoned pros arrive at the Club to lend experience and nous to young-ish squad.

But will that be enough to compete for first place, as we all dearly hope so?

The answer to that question lies less in introspection and more in looking at our rivals, most notably the two Manchester outfits. The Champions, United, built on their title-winning exploits by adding proven Premiership class and a sprinkling of young talent. And importantly, they did it early to allow the newbies to settle in. We know first-hand how strong they already look.

Then we have their noisy neighbours, City. The pretenders to throne if you will, who have spent an insane amount of money on legitimate world-class players…and Gael Clichy. They have no limits and when it comes to flashing the cash, for the world really is their oyster now they can offer the carrot that is Champions League football. They finally seem to have the perfect blend of silk and steel, as Spurs can attest to.

I am loathe to aim for anything less than top spot. Even in my personal life, when I sit an exam I aim for 100%. Not because it’s likely to occur but because when you shoot for the moon, even if you fall short you will still land in the stars. In a way this could be a description of Arsenal last season. For so long we were in a two-horse race for the title that when the collapse came, we still didn’t fall out of the Champions League places.

However, this season I feel a sense of realism may be more beneficial for us fans. Especially after the summer we’ve had and especially because what happens is largely out of our control now that the transfer window is shut. The truth is has moved from the negotiating table back on to the pitch.

Even when you remove the spending of our rivals from the equation, our own confidence has taken a battering in recent times. And that’s not just with regards to the summer where we lost our skipper and one of the best players in the league to a rival. Our form since that fateful February day at Wembley has been plain awful. And stretching back even further, we’ve fallen away during the title run-in for three out of the last four campaigns. It’s fair to say this accumulation of disappointments has taken its toll on the morale of the fanbase.

But I don’t think it’s just bad results that have got us down. They are part and parcel of football and, to an extent, forgivable. Instead there has been a nagging feeling that some of the players simply don’t care as much as the fans. I could reel off a list of games where it felt like they were trudging around half-heartedly, not fighting tooth-and-nail for the win and fatally presuming that talent alone would see us victorious. And that truly is unforgivable.

That sense of complacency *seems* to have gone. This new-look squad may lack in superstar names but is packed with hard workers. Maybe the Club finally recognises that hard work is equally as important as sheer talent. Those that have exited could well have lost faith in their team-mates or the manager, but those who remain are 100% committed to the cause. No more passengers, just players willing to fight for the cannon on their chest.

And this complacency may well have translated to a section of supporters. Ever since our last trophy, some have harboured a sense of entitlement with regards to silverware. While this has diminished with each passing trophyless year, the recent rise in ticket prices gives justification to the anger as to why the team’s level is not rising accordingly.

But just as the complacency in the team has hopefully gone, so may have the sense of entitlement among the fans. At least that’s what I felt that afternoon at The Emirates when Liverpool overcame us. Immediately after the final whistle blew there was a cacophony of boos. But what is less widely-reported is that MANY stayed behind afterwards to show our appreciation for the players’ effort that day as a chant of “We love you Arsenal” rang around the stadium from the circa 25,000 that remained.

So while the players should of course strive to be the best, maybe us fans would be better served in lowering our expectations such that any tangible success (i.e. trophies) is a bonus.

Before you accuse me of accepting “failure”, I’d like to point out that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive – just because I’d be content with third place and qualifying from our CL group and maybe one of the domestic cups doesn’t mean I don’t want us to win the Quadruple. I simply don’t anticipate it with the players at our disposal. Nor does it mean I have no belief in Arsene of the squad, for I think we have assembled a very good stable of players with more depth than last year, albeit a weaker first XI.

But for my own sanity and after assessing the bigger picture – our start to the season, the state of our squad compared to our rivals’ – I’m not going to vest too much stock in the players delivering minor miracles. I’m simply going to try and support them as best I can and have faith that they will put in maximum effort. And given the talent at our disposal, a healthy dose of hard work should see results come naturally.

Again referring back to that Liverpool game, I sense many are of the same opinion. Who knows, if we simply support the players’ efforts instead of burdening them with unrealistic expectations, maybe they can remove the shackles of fear that gripped them during the second-half of last season and achieve that minor miracle? Maybe the 12th man can help the whole exceed the sum of our parts?

Squid Boy – http://twitter.com/TheSquidBoyLike

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The Curious Case Of Theo Walcott

Posted on 02/09/2011 by

(Today’s fantastic blog was written by The Squid Boy. Follow him on Twitter at @thesquidboylike!)

I spent yesterday evening watching England beat Bulgaria away. Okay that’s a half-truth. I spent the evening watching Theo Walcott.

Ah yes, good old young Theo. I can’t remember a player who has split the fanbase so much with regards to his best position on the pitch. Wide midfielder? Winger? Striker? All of the above? It’s a very subjective answer and opinions are varied across the Goonerverse.

But in all honesty, only the opinion of two men count – Theo Walcott and Arsene Wenger.

Intriguingly enough, the Club list him as a “striker”. That is all fine and dandy when you consider how high up the pitch he plays. But if you look at Andrey Arshavin’s profile – a man who plays in the same position but on the opposite flank – he is listed as a midfielder. Hmmm. And I would wager a fair amount of money that Samir Nasri was also listed as a midfielder, despite spending the vast majority of last season on the wings.

The man naturally sees himself as a striker and always has done. Through his developmental years he accepted that he was being groomed for the centre-forward position. But as time progresses it’s understandable that he gets itchy feet for the role. With every finish that nestles in the bottom corner, his hunger grows. He wants to be in that position more often and do what comes most naturally to him. Forget blazing past hapless defenders with the ball at his feet or delivering inch-perfect crosses – Theo is a finisher.

Donning the famous no.14 on his back, comparisons to a certain Thierry Henry are inevitable. And I can see it to some extent – their pace (obviously) and style of finishing; the way they open their body to curl the ball around the keeper’s left hand. But Theo has nothing of Henry’s strength or, to put it bluntly, skill set. Indeed, I regard young master Walcott more akin to Michael Owen. Small, extremely nippy and with a nose for goal. Can you imagine Michael Owen playing as a winger? Nope, thought not.

Nary does an interview with him or an article about him go by without mention of the role he craves. All the moreso when the goals start to flow frequently, as they are doing now.

And it’s not just Theo or journalists or fans who are championing his cause. Even his international team-mates have jumped on the bandwagon. In the build-up to last night’s game, a story broke in that Express that Theo ran riot in a practice match, bagging a whopping four goals. The story further went on to claim that John Terry – who was on the receiving end of the four goals – actually asked Theo: “how are you not playing up-front for Arsenal?”

The reason is obvious – our formation. Make all the cases you want about Theo playing up top, but he simply can’t do the job that Robin van Persie does. The way we function, we need our frontman to hold the ball up and link play. So far I’ve seen little evidence of either in Theo’s artillery. People will then say that he could simply play on the shoulder, but given the way teams park the bus against us (especially at The Emirates), space in behind will be at a premium and the way he stretches the game for us is vital.

In addition, how often did Michael Owen play up-front on his own? Owen tended to function best when he had a Heskey alongside him, and it comes as little surprise that Andy Carroll was partnering Theo in the aforementioned training session. Don’t worry, I’m not advocating that we go out and buy a lumbering oaf to get the best out of Theo. Far from it. But I am stating my belief that Theo cannot play as the lone striker in our current system.

The 4-3-3 was very much set up with Cesc in mind. It unburdened our ex-captain of the defensive duties that come with being part of a two-man central midfield and allowed him to play a freer role further up the pitch. When Cesc departed I was sad but not fearful of the future, for I believe he had made us tactically inflexible simply because he was undroppable. In his absence, I felt we would be able to sometimes revert to 4-4-2. A tigerish midfield duo of Wilshere and Song flanked by any number of wide midfielders, with v.Persie playing in a second striker role behind a more direct forward. A candidate for this centre-forward role would have included Theo.

However pre-season set the stall out for this campaign, as not once did we adopt this tactic. This may be due to the fact that Cesc was still employed by the Club and Wenger harboured hopes that he’d stay, or that we were going to stick to our 4-3-3 guns irrespective of the Spaniard’s future.

And now with the signing of another Spaniard in Mikel Arteta, it seems that the en vogue formation of a double pivot backing up a more advanced creator shall prevail. So Theo’s coveted forward role looks highly unlikely this season.

Now here’s where I start to worry. Theo has always come across as sweet boy off the field and perhaps a little meek on it. At the very beginning of the season I saw a fired up Theo who was tired of being bullied by defenders. He gave as good as he got and argued back to referees. I even remember commenting on Twitter that I was loving this newfound feisty side to him. No more Mr Nice Guy.

But then after the Liverpool game, I wondered whether we were mistaking his feistiness with petulance. I cannot remember the incident, but there was a moment during the match where he came off looking like a spoilt brat. And I started to wonder – has his positional frustration started to manifest in his on-pitch behaviour. Is he getting annoyed that he constantly receives the ball tight to the touchline and can do little more than run up a blind alley?

Then came the argument with youngster Carl Jenkinson at Old Trafford in the lead up to Ashley Young’s first goal. Now I know Theo is no veteran and sometimes a telling off is required, but maybe he should have recognised his senior standing in the squad and not been so harsh on Jenkinson. Easy to say in hindsight, I know, but I can’t help feel that Jenkinson distracted mindset may have seen him lose track of his man…none other than the goalscorer, Ashley Young.

And this is all on the pitch, for I have yet to mention Theo’s new autobiography. Aside from the fact that releasing an autobiography at the tender age of 22 is rather preposterous, apparently some things he say in it come across as less than flattering – particularly towards a certain Mr Capello. Of course autobiographies should contain the whole truth and nothing but, but again you go back to the starting point – why release one when your career is still active at the risk of alienating people that are important to you? It comes off a bit Billy Big Boots, does it not? Allied with the on-pitch stuff I have mentioned above, it gives rise to the question: has Theo Walcott become a bit of a prima-donna? Worryingly, his current is due to run out in a few summers’ time…

Before you start accusing me of initiating a witch-hunt for Theo, I’d like to make it known that I like Theo. A lot. I bought his no.14 jersey from a season’s back and I have a signed no.32 shirt of his from when he first broke onto the scene. Like an excitable idiot I even purchased the no.23 England kit that he wore to the 2006 World Cup (or rather, that he didn’t wear). And I rate him highly too. I reckon he’s the best finisher at the Club.

My call is simply for Theo to channel his frustration in a more positive manner.

The signing of Arteta perpetuates the usage of a 4-3-3. But Theo should remember that his best form for the Club came in the middle of last season during the wonderful purple patch that shall forever be known as Theo Van Nasregas. (a single tear rolls down my cheek as I recall those halcyon days)

And he should also know that Theo Van Nasregas could well be replicated with Robin dropping deep and creating space centrally for Theo to run onto passes from Jack Wilshere and Arteta. Plus another string to the bow is the ability and tendency that Theo and Gervinho have to swap wings. This will often see Theo cutting in from the left side onto his favoured right-foot. All in all, the formation and players we have can see Theo flourish again this season. And to be fair to the boy, he has started pretty well.

So I ask Theo to stick to his guns this season. Accept that your time in the centre will be thoroughly limited, don’t let your frustration boil over, and make the most of the opportunities that come your way from the wider areas. Essentially, embrace the variety and fluidity of our front three and appreciate the creativity of our midfield. Get in front of goal as often as possible and be so clinical that Arsene can’t envisage not having you in that position at every given opportunity. If you want the formation tailored to you strengths in the future, show us why now.

Squid Boy – http://twitter.com/#!/TheSquidBoyLike

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The feel-good (feel-better?) factor restored

Posted on 01/09/2011 by

(this post was written by @thesquidboylike. He’s a fantastic follow on twitter and regular contributor to Arsenalvision.com!)

Before I begin, I must admit to feeling like Carlos Tevez when he was owned by two parties. Why, you ask? Because this post is appearing on both Arsenal Vision and Yankee Gunner’s blog.

I feel I must introduce myself to frequent readers of Yankee’s blog. Hi my name is Squid Boy and like the rest of you, I’m addicted to Arsenal. I blog semi-regular on Arsenal Vision, alongside the head honcho Mean Lean, the always humorous Wenger Boy, the realistic Iron Man, and the passionate Omomo. Head on over to www.arsenalvision.co.uk when you can, it’s good stuff.

I am temporarily filling in for Mr Yankee himself for a few days as he embarks on a secret scouting mission with Danny Karbassiyoon to unearth the next Freddy Adu. What? It was meant to remain a secret?! Oh.

So the first part of this three-part bonanza I’ll pick up where I left off from my last Arsenal Vision blog – on the verge of the deadline day rollercoaster.

As I sit down to type this, it is 11pm UK time on Thursday, exactly 24 hours after the transfer window slammed shut. I’m still feeling a bit groggy from it all. Like many of you I was sat in front of my computer screen all day, refreshing various news sites and my Twitter feed like a reprobate, with Sky Sports News playing in the background and my ears pricking up every time our name was mentioned. By the end of it all I became no more than your standard Neanderthal, my finger rhythmically hitting the F5 button and dribble running down my chin as we waited with bated breath for Arsenal.com to confirm the Mikel Arteta deal and release us from the pleasure and pain that was deadline day.

And then like manna from heaven, it arrived.

I remarked in my last blog that we were 2-0 down in the transfer market for the majority of the summer. Then came the signings of Park Chu Young, Andre Santos and Per Mertesacker; the equivalent of a consolation and an equaliser. All we needed was to secure the signature of a Cesc “replacement” on the final day to turn the result around. And although Arteta wasn’t quite the big name we had hoped for at the beginning of the day, he was certainly better than nothing. In time I believe he may even turn out to be the best solution. The Spaniard was up for grabs, and Arsene’s twenty-man transfer army charged through the minefield to get him (and the rather unfancied Yossi Benayoun). The final whistle blew and it ended 3-2 to The Arsenal…just. And after a day of high drama too.

D-Day began with none of the excitement of the previous day where we virtually sealed deals for Santos and Mertesacker completely out of the blue. In terms of paperwork etc, I’m sure the Club wanted to get these rubber-stamped before the search for a midfielder or two began in earnest. And so Santos and Mertesacker were announced at 3pm and 4pm respectively, leaving a good seven hours for us to sweat on the final piece of the puzzle.

Having been linked with all and sundry from the French league, these names seemed to dissipate and it came down to two players closer to home – Messrs Benayoun and Arteta. Benayoun’s name had been bandied around the previous evening but it sounded very much a last resort, with a plethora of sexy young things such as Yann M’Vila, Marvin Martin, Eden Hazard and Mario Goetze ahead of him in the pecking order.

And then Arteta appeared on our radar, with reports first stating that we had an offer rejected for him by the notoriously difficult to deal with Everton, and later that we hadn’t matched his wage demands. Either way, it seemed to be a question of money as it tends to be with Arsenal.

Now in the past I have defended our prudence, but with many millions burning a hole in our pocket, I was flummoxed as to why we wouldn’t get the deal done. There are times when you haggle to drive down the price as much as possible, and there are times when you bite the bullet and say: “you know what, we’ve had a shocking summer in the midfield department, it might be time to fork out the extra few million to give ourselves the best hope of success instead of risking our fortunes on a callow youth”. This scenario definitely called for the latter. Why could we not just defer the extra 20k per week that was on the table for Samir Nasri to Arteta?

Then Benayoun’s name re-surfaced as a very viable option, and the edge of the cliff awaited virtually the entire Goonerverse. In isolation, Benayoun is a decent player who had a good spell at Liverpool and was unlucky that injury reduced his playing time for Chelsea. We owe him one too, for helping us qualify for the Champions League way back in 2006 as he scored the winner against a decidedly brown-shorted Spurs outfit. But having sold two of our most creative players and seeing only Benayoun come in would have been galling to say the least. If there were two words I could use to describe the reaction to Benayoun possibly being our only midfield recruit on D-Day, they would be “meh” and “underwhelmed”.

But alas, the Arteta deal still had life in it as the player seemingly had second thoughts and REDUCED his wage demands in an effort to join us and play Champions League football. That sentence alone crystallises the massive important of beating Udinese last week. David Moyes has a habit of driving a hard bargain when selling players (see Joleon Lescott), but this time there was no need to bump up our offer to the player’s supposed £15 million valuation. Everton accepted they could not fulfil Arteta’s Champions League needs, accepted our £10 million gambit and the path was clear to agree personal terms with time ticking away.

Just before the 11pm deadline, Benayoun was announced. Never had the reaction to a signing of one player depended so much on the potential signing of another. Thankfully for Yossi, Arteta’s arrival was confirmed just after the 11pm deadline. So instead of Benayoun being welcomed with sympathetic applause and a shrug of the shoulders, he is now greeted with happiness in the knowledge that he is a very good supplement to the man who emerged as our main target. And had we missed out on said main target following the summer we’ve had to endure, then I honestly feared for the sanity of many fans and the atmosphere at the Emirates for the Swansea game in just over a week.

So this is where we stand after two whirlwind days. Mertesacker to ensure Squillaci never dons the red’n’white again and to allow Djourou to recover his confidence. A positive. Santos to make sure that we don’t have to field a right-footed left-back in the, sadly, inevitable event of a Gibbs injury. A positive. Arteta to bring swashbuckling Spanish good looks and domestic experience to our midfield which means that Ramsey doesn’t need to play every game. A positive. Benayoun to offer versatility and creativity across central and wide midfield positions. A positive. And Park to fill in across the frontline a la the outgoing Nicklas Bendtner. A positive. And that’s forgetting the earlier signings of Gervinho, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. All positives in their own way.

We know it was a bad summer for the Club in the transfer market. In hindsight we know that we should have either sold Cesc and Nasri earlier or at least had their replacements firmly lined up. However, our precarious standing in the Champions League probably dictated that this wasn’t wholly possible, both fiscally and in terms of attracting players.

But I’m tired of looking back and wringing my hands over what happened in the summer. We have all done just that for the past month or so.

Instead I’d like to applaud Arsene and the Board/transfer army for somewhat salvaging our summer.

Firstly Arsene for disbanding the myth that he is stubborn to the point where he would only put faith in ‘his’ youngsters. People – mostly the media – see this as failure, that Project Youth has finally been acknowledged as a pipe dream and that Arsene’s ideals are shot to pieces. I disagree vehemently, for Arsene’s greatest achievement would be to adjust accordingly to the situation and rescue us from the horrible start to the season we’ve had domestically. And in bagging five massively experienced players over the last few days, he has given himself the very best chance.

And also the much maligned Board and transfer army, led by Ivan Gazidis and Richard Law. Gazidis came to us with all the attributes required for a CEO except the experience in dealing with transfers that his predecessor David Dein was so expert at. That is a role that Law has now been entrusted with. Whether or not our perceived inability to seal certain deals is due to Gazidis’ or Law’s relative incompetence compared to Dein, we probably won’t know. But you certainly can’t fault their efforts and results as the window drew to a close. Arsene identified his targets, and these guys went out and secured them. In turn, we have made the very best of what could otherwise have been an apocalyptic summer.

So take a bow, Arsene et al. You have restored the feel-good factor around the Club. The fans finally believe again – even those who had dwindling faith must applaud our actions of the past few days.

The most accurate barometer of the feel-good factor? The fact that we simply can’t wait for the next game.

Squid Boy – http://twitter.com/#!/TheSquidBoyLike

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