West Ham Game (H)

[Herd]

I'd love another trip to Turkey for a qualifier as long as it's Fernabache ,its cracking city !
At the end of the day Poldi did what he does best ,we were for once much better in the second half than them .
Carzola worked today and there have been signs recently that he will put in a shift too.
The swede did OK for me considering it was his full debut ,and I do think he's got some balls taking that penalty on Saturday given the amount of playing time he has had with us.
I hate West Ham and their Mockney fams with all my Heart for murdering my friend John Dickinson 32 years ago so these games always affect me very badly.

[gp543]

I'd love another trip to Turkey for a qualifier as long as it's Fernabache ,its cracking city !

I want Porto or Bilbao. Ideally, Sevilla would sneak it but I think it's too much for them to make up unless they beat Bilbao next weekend.

[nut flush gooner]

Podolski is too good of a finisher to play on the left wing. Tonight proved that he should be played closer to goal. Switch to 4-4-2 Wenger you clueless mug.

Lol, podolski isn't a winger. He plays on the left side of attack. If anyone is playing on the wing its the full backs which effectively become wing backs with our current formation.

If we played 442 we would get arse raped even by the shit teams. We also don't have two hard men in the middle to cope with being outplayed physically. 442 works with vieira/petit it doesnt with arteta/wilshere.

In anycase football has moved on, 442 is soo 90s.

[donaldo]

Just to throw it out there, I thought Kallstrom had a blinder personally...

So their goal had nothing to do with the Swedish Diaby not tracking back

[Glitch33]

Looked like some of our inconsistent players realised they could be playing in the Europa Cup if they don't buck their ideas up.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Did anyone see the end of the game when everyone was shaking hands, TV walks past giroud and they do a high five but TV says something because giroud then looks round and clearly looks pissed off and says "fuck off", just wondered what it was about really, I'm sure someone can get a clip of it

[OneBardGooner]

Just to throw it out there, I thought Kallstrom had a blinder personally...

So their goal had nothing to do with the Swedish Diaby not tracking back

Good One!

[DB10GOONER]

Some seriously bizarre comments on this thread!

Podolski is a finisher. He is not a winger, not a wide attacker, not a tackler, why would we need him to tackle ffs? He should be played in the centre off a second striker as part of a 4-4-2.

Someone above called 4-4-2 so 90's (whatever that means) and said we were too soft to play it? Huh? You don't need hard men to play 4-4-2. You just need players with positional sense, ability to pick the simple ball and half a clue when to sit and when to push on. Also flooding the midfield with lightweights in a 4-5-1 is pointless. Unless you have runners to get in behind the single striker or good crossers for fullbacks, (neither of which we have when Ramsey and Walcott are injured or off-form) then you end up with the slow tippy tappy sideways shite we play. Unless played correctly with the right players 4-5-1 will always reduce down to this.

If we played 4-4-2 with Pod as first striker and Giroud as second we would get the best out of both players. Giroud has great touches in and around the box, he holds up well (mostly) and has a decent weight of pass (mostly). 4 midfielders also creates a bit of room for the likes of Ozil, Rosickey and Cazorla etc to take a yard and pick their passes.

Giroud did brilliantly for his goal. A touch worthy of Bergkamp. Yeah, he is not good enough to be our first choice striker if we want to win the PL or the CL, but if used correctly he can deliver a reasonable return. Some people on here are so desperate to slate him they can't accept it when he does well, which to be honest is a bit pathetic.

Also Lefty, as a fellow striker, I'm surprised at you saying he was lucky megging the keeper. We were always taught when in close to hit it low and hard close to the keeper as most lanky streaks of piss can't get down quick enough. He did the correct thing, laces through, low and hard.

Thought Cazorla was immense second half. Showed the quality he has. But again, why only against the shit teams? Anyway a great win against the murderers.

[Theoperator]

I thought Kallstrom played well too.

Apparrently we havent scored directly from a free kick since 2012.

Kallstrom came rumoured to be good at free kicks, hopefully he will lash that stat

Thank God for Rambo, weve been so missing a quality touch. Reinforces the folly of the last transfer window, just one or two fast quality players would have made all the difference. Would have even had Shane Long sign

[OneBardGooner]

Giroud has one -- yes, that's ONE feckin' excellent first touch in the penalty area - One in gawd lordy, lordy knows how feckin' many (hundred's at least!) and they're all saying it's Bergkampesque!


Bergkamp did it every fucking game!...yes, yes, yes I know they're saying the 'touch' was bergkampesque Not Giroud...but FFS!

Bergkamp IS GOD! ..SO GO F*CK OFF!

[DB10GOONER]

Oh before some Spudtard picks up on it, I'm NOT saying we should play all 3 of Ozil, Rosickey and Cazorla at the same time as part of a midfield 4!!

[DB10GOONER]

Giroud has one -- yes, that's ONE feckin' excellent first touch in the penalty area - One in gawd lordy, lordy knows how feckin' many (hundred's at least!) and they're all saying it's Bergkampesque!


Bergkamp did it every fucking game!...yes, yes, yes I know they're saying the 'touch' was bergkampesque Not Giroud...but FFS!

Bergkamp IS GOD! ..SO GO F*CK OFF!

Take that cock out of your mouth Ewok. The touch WAS "Bergkampesque". To disagree just because it is Giroud is churlish and petty. You Ewok ceeunt!

[nut flush gooner]

Some seriously bizarre comments on this thread!

Podolski is a finisher. He is not a winger, not a wide attacker, not a tackler, why would we need him to tackle ffs? He should be played in the centre off a second striker as part of a 4-4-2.

Someone above called 4-4-2 so 90's (whatever that means) and said we were too soft to play it? Huh? You don't need hard men to play 4-4-2. You just need players with positional sense, ability to pick the simple ball and half a clue when to sit and when to push on. Also flooding the midfield with lightweights in a 4-5-1 is pointless. Unless you have runners to get in behind the single striker or good crossers for fullbacks, (neither of which we have when Ramsey and Walcott are injured or off-form) then you end up with the slow tippy tappy sideways shite we play. Unless played correctly with the right players 4-5-1 will always reduce down to this.

If we played 4-4-2 with Pod as first striker and Giroud as second we would get the best out of both players. Giroud has great touches in and around the box, he holds up well (mostly) and has a decent weight of pass (mostly). 4 midfielders also creates a bit of room for the likes of Ozil, Rosickey and Cazorla etc to take a yard and pick their passes.

Giroud did brilliantly for his goal. A touch worthy of Bergkamp. Yeah, he is not good enough to be our first choice striker if we want to win the PL or the CL, but if used correctly he can deliver a reasonable return. Some people on here are so desperate to slate him they can't accept it when he does well, which to be honest is a bit pathetic.

Also Lefty, as a fellow striker, I'm surprised at you saying he was lucky megging the keeper. We were always taught when in close to hit it low and hard close to the keeper as most lanky streaks of piss can't get down quick enough. He did the correct thing, laces through, low and hard.

Thought Cazorla was immense second half. Showed the quality he has. But again, why only against the shit teams? Anyway a great win against the murderers.

Name me one successful side today that plays 442? Most sides pack the midfield these days we would just get overrun.

The old 442 model was based around having ball winners in central midfield, not tappy tappy players who pass and move. Vieira and Petit where also very good at driving the team forward either with the ball, or in Petit's case with a sublime pass.

Going back to Pod, he plays on the left side of attack he should track back because that's the formation we play, just saying he's a striker isn't any excuse for not putting in a shift. Before yesterday he scored 4 goals in the league from 9 starts. I could name you loads of Arsenal players from years gone by who wern't strikers but had a much better ratio of goals to games. Bobby and Freddie instantly spring to mind.

[LeftfootlegendGooner]

Giroud has one -- yes, that's ONE feckin' excellent first touch in the penalty area - One in gawd lordy, lordy knows how feckin' many (hundred's at least!) and they're all saying it's Bergkampesque!


Bergkamp did it every fucking game!...yes, yes, yes I know they're saying the 'touch' was bergkampesque Not Giroud...but FFS!

Bergkamp IS GOD! ..SO GO F*CK OFF!

Take that cock out of your mouth Ewok. The touch WAS "Bergkampesque". To disagree just because it is Giroud is churlish and petty. You Ewok ceeunt!

Tbf DB if he hadn't have been pushed in the back as he went for the ball he probably would have missed the ball altogether

[DB10GOONER]

Some seriously bizarre comments on this thread!

Podolski is a finisher. He is not a winger, not a wide attacker, not a tackler, why would we need him to tackle ffs? He should be played in the centre off a second striker as part of a 4-4-2.

Someone above called 4-4-2 so 90's (whatever that means) and said we were too soft to play it? Huh? You don't need hard men to play 4-4-2. You just need players with positional sense, ability to pick the simple ball and half a clue when to sit and when to push on. Also flooding the midfield with lightweights in a 4-5-1 is pointless. Unless you have runners to get in behind the single striker or good crossers for fullbacks, (neither of which we have when Ramsey and Walcott are injured or off-form) then you end up with the slow tippy tappy sideways shite we play. Unless played correctly with the right players 4-5-1 will always reduce down to this.

If we played 4-4-2 with Pod as first striker and Giroud as second we would get the best out of both players. Giroud has great touches in and around the box, he holds up well (mostly) and has a decent weight of pass (mostly). 4 midfielders also creates a bit of room for the likes of Ozil, Rosickey and Cazorla etc to take a yard and pick their passes.

Giroud did brilliantly for his goal. A touch worthy of Bergkamp. Yeah, he is not good enough to be our first choice striker if we want to win the PL or the CL, but if used correctly he can deliver a reasonable return. Some people on here are so desperate to slate him they can't accept it when he does well, which to be honest is a bit pathetic.

Also Lefty, as a fellow striker, I'm surprised at you saying he was lucky megging the keeper. We were always taught when in close to hit it low and hard close to the keeper as most lanky streaks of piss can't get down quick enough. He did the correct thing, laces through, low and hard.

Thought Cazorla was immense second half. Showed the quality he has. But again, why only against the shit teams? Anyway a great win against the murderers.

Name me one successful side today that plays 442? Most sides pack the midfield these days we would just get overrun.

The old 442 model was based around having ball winners in central midfield, not tappy tappy players who pass and move. Vieira and Petit where also very good at driving the team forward either with the ball, or in Petit's case with a sublime pass.

Going back to Pod, he plays on the left side of attack he should track back because that's the formation we play, just saying he's a striker isn't any excuse for not putting in a shift. Before yesterday he scored 4 goals in the league from 9 starts. I could name you loads of Arsenal players from years gone by who wern't strikers but had a much better ratio of goals to games. Bobby and Freddie instantly spring to mind.

I don't agree regarding Pod. You are basically agreeing with Wenger's "plan" of wedging players into his ideal of a system wether it suits them or not. For me, you look at the players you have and then you play the system to their strengths, not the other way round.

Again, 4-4-2 isn't only about hard man ball winners, it helps to have ball winners (but that's the same for any system). I’m not saying play 4-4-2 every game, or even every part of a single game. I accept that with 4-4-2 against 4-5-1 there is a risk of being overrun in the centre of midfield because of the lack of numbers. The solution is flexibility, one of our centre-forwards (say, Giroud) drops deeper when we don’t have the ball and adds an extra central midfielder. Basically we shift temporarily to 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 or indeed flat 4-5-1.

Flexibility is key. As for top teams, all of the following have used 4-4-2 successfully at different times this season; Madrid, Citeh, Manure, PSG, Athletico…