So, just what is wrong with the team??? 1/1/09

[steveclark1960]

The transfer window is unlikely to provide a quick fix to our problems, although a replacement for Cesc would be handy.
Wouldn't it be nice if there was just one thing wrong so that we could focus on that and fix it, but I think there are a few problems and they are all linked.
So, what's going wrong?
I’m not even going to complain about the lack of quality and experience in the squad - others have written plenty about that. There is plenty of potential with skill and many a mediocre player in the past has been moulded into a great player.
I think the problems are down to lack of teamwork, confidence and tactical awareness, but mainly creativity.
We often hear the Boss speak of the team not being sharp and even found myself using that to explain why we don’t react quick enough to get to the ball first, make a move off the ball or get a foot in to disrupt the opposition’s possession anywhere on the field.
Or, are we just lacking creativity?
Take the Portsmouth game on Sunday as an example, every time we had a throw-in nobody seems to want the ball. Every time we had a throw-in near the edge of their box I was pleading with Sagna to put a ball in behind the defence for somebody to try to get around the back, but nobody even looked like they thought that was an option. A bit of backspin on the throw to hold the ball up (a difficult skill of course if you are wearing gloves) and maybe get a cross in or possibly win a corner, but no, always the same approach with Ade coming short – shouldn’t he be around the penalty spot or would that risk getting too close to ‘I’m too good for this team’ Bendtner?
When Vela replaced Eboue with 25 minutes to go (well done Boss, a positive move and 5 minutes earlier than usual!) there was an immediate spark, and the crowd was lifted because, for the first time in the game somebody wanted to have a run at the opposition.
I’ve read Simon Rose’s piece in Issue 191 and totally agree that passing the ball in an arc (and sometimes all the way back to Almunia for a panic and a punt). It rarely creates an opening.
If a side comes to defend, then it’s our job to try something different, get creative. I would hope that we are well prepared and know what to expect, having worked out the oppositions weaknesses and come up with some pre-planned moves to complement the opportunistic invention of our players that just happens (doesn’t it?).
We need to have many options available and tried them out in training. Don’t stifle the individual’s ability to create something out of nothing and the great DB10 could, but we need to be able to vary to game plan. American footballers have a play-book and although our game doesn’t stop to allow a play to be selected, except from a free-kick there must be something we can learn – the plays have been selected based on the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses so are we taking the same approach? Or is it just the same approach to every game?
How often in the past has it looked like we had a plan and attack down the wing until the opposition defender gets booked, then, we never run at him again for the rest of the game.
We simply don’t seem to be creating many openings, let alone real chances or something to keep the opposition’s keeper awake. Maybe that is the tactic – wait for the opposition to become complacent towards the end of the game and then steal the points - oh no, that’s what others do to us.
So why aren’t we creative?
This could be for a number of reasons, but not lack of ability as Diaby showed against Villa. Trying things that don’t come off (particularly in dangerous areas like just outside your own box Mr. Clichy!) will ultimately damage confidence and that seems to be lacking in buckets at the moment.
Some teams can dig in and grind out a result when confidence is low, but that is not our way so we try to revert to passing.
The problem when confidence is low is that our passing becomes ‘safe’ and direct to a player – often with somebody right up his arse due to lack of movement – not a yard or two in front to keep the player moving, or into the space that you know a team-mate will already be moving into. I definitely don’t want a team of Butch Wilkins clones playing every week.
One of Cesc’s great qualities is to continually be on the move, always looking to move into a space and make himself available, but even he seems to have been suffering before his injury and not up to his normal high standard.
The team needs to start working for each other and that doesn’t always mean run with the ball until you are knocked off it, but work off the ball, get the two lines of four (or five) in the opposition defence to work and create gaps to exploit.
Finally, it’s not really about luck and I’m getting a bit fed up of hearing that. You create your own luck as Denilson did against Villa but following up and forcing the ball out into his own path. A simple lesson, here that if you go for the 50-50s half the time they might go your way! If you put the ball in the danger area with the defence under pressure you never know what might happen.
So come on lads, know your opposition, practice some new ideas every week, plan the game ahead, work for each other and trust each other going forward. Have a go and maybe the Jamie Carragher’s will score an own goal for us too.
Create the chances, score some goals and get the crowd and the media behind the team for the rest of the season.

[Eboue-Why?]

A pretty impressive opening thread Steve! Welcome to the forum young man

[REB]

good first post, a bit long for most on here to read

so wenger is to blame for everything as it is his team and he no plan or tactics you are on the right track i will give you that but we also lack quality and its not just down to a game plan or fellas not looking for the ball

[Bergkamp-Genius]

It's all down to a lack of investment in the team, it's that simple. Only 12 months ago we were on fire looked like nobody could touch us the future looked more than bright, one maybe two additons last January to strengthen and increase competition in our squad for the business end of the season would have been a seriously good investment and i have no doubt would have made the difference between us falling apart when it mattered or picking up some serious silverware in May.
So we went into the summer under the assumption that AW would have learned from what happened in Feb Mar and Apr and strengthened our obvious weakness the centre of defence and maybe added another quality midflielder to bolster up our options and i think had he have done that few of us would have been anything but excited about our chances of glory this season.

I'm sure that i'm not the only one that is still shocked at the business we did during the summer even thinking about it now it's hard to believe that anyone could take a side that needed very little to become one of the best teams we have ever had to a mediocre one in the space of one summer. We went into the summer needing a couple of players instead we lost our most influential player of the season and then inexplicably let the only experienced back up we had in his position go aswell and replaced neither of them, if that wasn't bad enough even after AW finally conceded we had problems in the centre of our defence he still failed to do anything about it, so we went into the summer needing a couple of quality players we came out of it needing at least three, not my idea of good management

The current problems we have are what every pundit and most Arsenal fans had suspected before the season began, we are just not strong enough not only in depth but also we are lacking real quality and solidity in the core of our side DCM and CB, that alone was going to cause us problems this year even if our creative players were fit and firing on all cylinders, which they haven't been.

Although our problems look much worse than before the season started i still believe we are maybe only three quality players in the right positions away from getting us back up to the level we were last season. It may seem worse than that but i believe that the problems we have are still the same as they were at the beginning of the season, the weaknesses we have have just eroded the confidence of the team in general not just the players that are not good enough or not ready but also the quality players we have around them have been affected due to their lack of confidence in some of the players they are playing with, so this is causing the team and it's individuals to look far worse than they are and i'm sure if we strengthened properly the confidence would come back and a lot of the players currently not looking good enough will find their form.

Now this is AW's third chance in a year to strengthen the team, in the previous two transfer windows he has weakened us, if we come out of this window without additions of some substance either the board are going to have to force AW to change some of his ways or we may have to start thinking about the unthinkable, because if this lack of investment in the team continues any longer we are going to end up falling further and further behind to the point where we will have to punch above our weight just to qualify for the UEFA.

The sad thing is this years problems have been so unnecessary it wouldn't have taken much money to strengthen us last Jan and the same in the summer all AW has succeeded in doing is putting off the inevitable, meanwhile we have sacrificed silverware last season and this just so that AW could avoid spending money that sooner or later he is going to have to spend anyway, that is if we have any ambition to win things, which i am beginning to doubt.

[MK Gould]

Great first post!

Its the same old story. Villa are your Ford Focus. Perform reasonably well week in week out, but never gonna make it to the top of Top Gears Car of the Year table.

Arsenal? We're at the cheaper end of Formula One. When finely tuned we go like sh@t off a shovel, but when the slightest part underperforms then we don't finish the race.... Unfortunately, when we had a majority of tried and tested parts in years gone by we could still win races - if a little unspectaculorly. But with a new gearbox, clutch etc as we have now then we're only winning when we race well....And sometimes it looks like we're trying to race without a distributor or brakes !

[donaldo]

This is not a new thing that has just happened today.Yes last season we were outstanding up until february when a couple of evperienced players bought in the january window would have got us over the line But we have been in decline since 2004

But where did we finisn the previous two years? Yeah thats right 4th

The board are happy to finish 4th and not win a thing
.
As long as 60,000 turn up every week the board are rubbing there hands.But how much longer are the fans going to cough up top dollar to watch the rubbish we have seen this season? A lot of fans are going to look at their season ticket renewels and say is it worth it to pay £1200 to see a team struggle to finish 4th

This team needs 5-6 quality players to make us a team that can compete to WIN the title and not just be happy with 4th place.Will the board give the money to the manager and will he spend it.On recent evidence the answer is No

[Bergkamp-Genius]

This is not a new thing that has just happened today.Yes last season we were outstanding up until february when a couple of evperienced players bought in the january window would have got us over the line But we have been in decline since 2004

But where did we finisn the previous two years? Yeah thats right 4th

The board are happy to finish 4th and not win a thing
.
As long as 60,000 turn up every week the board are rubbing there hands.But how much longer are the fans going to cough up top dollar to watch the rubbish we have seen this season? A lot of fans are going to look at their season ticket renewels and say is it worth it to pay £1200 to see a team struggle to finish 4th

This team needs 5-6 quality players to make us a team that can compete to WIN the title and not just be happy with 4th place.Will the board give the money to the manager and will he spend it.On recent evidence the answer is No

Yes the decline started in 2004 most of us were prepared to accept that we had to tighten our belt and rebuild a bit for a few seasons on the cheap due to the restraints placed on us due to the building of the new stadium so i don't count the couple of seasons after 2004 as a f*ck up more of a necessary evil.
The problem is now in the last year when there has supposedly been plenty of money available for players instead of using it to make us as good as we could be to ensure success AW has been content to make do and hope for the best and like you say that is not acceptable, if your paying extortionate money to watch the club you expect some of the profits the club are racking up to be spent making the product as good as possible, and by that i don't mean spending silly amounts of money that we can't afford, i mean if we have 20m in the bank available for players then we look at the squad and see what we need to make us better and get the best we can for that 20m, not leave it sitting in the bank while we have obvious deficiencies in the team that are preventing us from winning things. I don't think any sensible fan expects us to be buying the messi's and kaka's, but i'm sure we could have afforded the likes of Alonso or Barry and a decent centre half in the summer. I don't believe for one minute that the money isn't there it's more that they don't want to spend it unless they absolutely have to, the problem is have to for them seems to be the fear of not qualifying for the CL they don't seem to give a toss about investing to actually ensure we are good enough to win something.

[n7gooner]

I think the problem is no creative players we have nobody in the team who can produce a great bit of skill and then give a pass. Liverpool don't have that but what they have is players who can win a ball and give a great pass. Man u and Chelski have players like Ronaldo, Nani, Rooney. Chelsea have Deco and J Cole. What we have is players who can't do either well, Nasri playes like Pires but can't defend, Denilson can't pass the ball but can tackle (sort of). If anybody should play in CM at the moment it should be Song and Diaby. Diaby can give a pass and can beat people, Song can tackle.


I know Arsene has got faith in these players but they have not stepped up in the first half of the season. I just hope he dose not keep his faith in them all season and then for it to go all wrong. He needs to bring in a few additions with experience and this may bring the best out of the young players and give them the guidance they need.

[QuartzGooner]

Welcome Steve!

I do not think creativity is the problem because we usually score goals.

I think the problems are:

A) Simple lack of technical quality.

B) Lack of power and pace compared to the 2002-2004 teams.

C) Lack of a genuine defensive midfielder.

D) Lack of a proper captain since Vieira left, though let us see how Cesc does in that role.

E) Lack of defensive organisation mixed with no consistent centre back partnership.

F) Squabbling egotistical players. A fractured squad off the pitch seldom produces good form on the pitch. We also lack experienced players who can guide the teenagers.

G) Lack of funds 2004 - 2008 because of stadium building, leading to thinner squad and lack of proper competition for places.

H) Board room power struggles.
I am not certain how this affects the team, but possibly it means focus is on battles between directors rather than improving the playing staff and business of the club.

[Its Up 4 Grabs Now]

I agree with a lot of Quartz’ points but I think a lack of creativity really is an issue for us. Not because we don’t have any creative players (RVP, Cesc, Nasri, the artist formerly known as Rosicky are all creators), but our style of play and the whole “Wengerballâ€

[Calo]

Welcome Steve!

I do not think creativity is the problem because we usually score goals.

I think the problems are:

A) Simple lack of technical quality.

B) Lack of power and pace compared to the 2002-2004 teams.

C) Lack of a genuine defensive midfielder.

D) Lack of a proper captain since Vieira left, though let us see how Cesc does in that role.

E) Lack of defensive organisation mixed with no consistent centre back partnership.

F) Squabbling egotistical players. A fractured squad off the pitch seldom produces good form on the pitch. We also lack experienced players who can guide the teenagers.

G) Lack of funds 2004 - 2008 because of stadium building, leading to thinner squad and lack of proper competition for places.

H) Board room power struggles.
I am not certain how this affects the team, but possibly it means focus is on battles between directors rather than improving the playing staff and business of the club.

when I finally get to take over you can be my no 2

[yeahbaby]

Our squad is and has been too small for at least four seasons.
Playing in multiple competions one or two injury's mean we have to field weakened teams who just can't compete at the level required.

Man U get an injury upfront - damn we'll have to bring on bebatov.
Chelsea gotta choose between anelka AND drogba or play em both and have to put a suberb midfielder on the bench.

We rest RVP and it's Bent-ender!

[steveclark1960]

So, I listed a few problems and Quartz has done A-H. No doubt there are enough to complete the alphabet.

There's lots of unhappy Gooners out there at the moment who all seem to have lost confidence in the Team as well as the Boss.
I don't know who you would get to replace the Boss anyway and who could make the current crop play any better?

Yes, we could do with 2 or three (or 6) plus Eduado, Ro-Sicky, Theo and Cesc back fit and Kolo wanting to be part of the team - he's changed his tune recently as I thought he would never leave the Boss that he owes so much too - Then we might have a chance to fight for all the silverware withe the rest of the top 3. But I can't see us getting anybody unless we lose somebody at the same time.

Champions League in 2009 anyone?

[Lethal]

in short

the players just aint that good

thats our problems in a sentence

[DB10GOONER]

in short

the players just aint that good

thats our problems in a sentence

Cut to it's basics I agree that is the essence of our problem.

Skill-wise, technique-wise, vision-wise and commitment-wise Pinky Bendtner and Greedywhore are not DB10 and THBW14. Song/Deneilson/Eboue are not Vieira, Petit, Bobby, Freddie or Overmars. Toure and Gallas are not TA6 and Uncle Bouldy or Keown. Almunia and Fabianski are not Seamo or peak level Lehman.

None of that aforementioned current crop even come close to their predecesors in overall "quality". Only Cesc, Clichy and Sagna (maybe RVP if he wasn't injured all the time) would get into any AW team from 1998 to 2004.

And that is how I judge those players. I look at (for example) Alex Song and there is no way he would get in those earlier teams as a regular starter; he would be on the bench a couple times a season at best and then eased out the door at the end of the season (or in January).

The current crop are not good enough.