The problems at Arsenal lie deeper than the surface by KM
At the end of the past week, Arsenal managed to get two wins from two away games. On the surface that looks like a deal you would take at any time. The problem with AFC is that there is always a “but”. We took the points, but the performances were awful once again.
Lets start with the positives. The points. Sanchez. Why is Sanchez the only player pressing so high? He was taught to do so at Barcelona. If we want to be a mini version of that famous Barca side, we need to implement the most crucial aspect of their game that brought them success. You guessed it’s not the passing, but the pressing.
Guardiola said that he wants the ball back up to 5 seconds after it’s lost. At Arsenal, a lot of players seem to care little about the ball getting back after it’s lost. What can the manager do to inspire all the players to put in the effort Sanchez does.
Fitness is another major issue. Did you see the Classico? Some players at Real Madrid play 70 games a season and do not have a problem with it. We have players who play every game and they look broken. We look tired at the start of the games and we look broken at the end. What do we do about monitoring individual players health? How about individual programs and diets for players to get the best out of their bodies?
People can be modified by numbers just like we monitor numbers in our accounts and work on improving them. We destroy our players on training and we still cannot defend a corner kick. If we are going to put a tireless effort into something, we might as well put into something that will improve our game.
We have bad preparations, we have bad fitness management and we have a tactically inadequate manager. Wenger cannot make players die on the field for him like Mourinho does. Wenger has a favourites list and an ignore list. If you are in the first, you will get run down to the ground until you are injured, and if you are in the second (like Podolski) your confidence will get shot to the point you don’t care anymore.
We played the worst PL side at the moment – Sunderland – and it took two horrific errors for us to win. These games were supposed to get us back on track in our passing and free flowing game, instead we are riding our luck. Results have matched our performances, contrary to what Wenger says. We’ve been average and our results – poor.
Southampton sold the core of their squad, but their manager had a vision of what to do and it’s paying off. West ham are another example of smart business. Good players like Song and Zarate were brought, and put in a good formation that suits them, and they beat the Champions.
Just imagine the post-Wenger era. It could be a disaster or a masterclass. We are rich. Any manager would love to manage an Arsenal side full of quality, enough money to repair the holes and with a good vision and strategy can be one of Europes heavyweights. When the players come out and say things are bad like Per did, you cannot be brainwashed enough to believe Wenger anymore, well at least I don’t. Things are not okay, but luckily, players are coming back and we have an easy (well at least on paper) fixture list. Hopefully this will bring some good results on the table.
Konstantin Mitov
Very well said, and expect some Wenger lovers to come out for this.
Fitness is a very good example to bring up. Why players on other teams can play so much (without much injuries), and our players always have fitness problem? This is not a one-time problem for us… and Wenger said we trained very hard? Very hard on what?
No need to mention Wenger’s managing style. He praises all his players and rarely kicks their rear end hard, and sounds like he is fair to everybody; but we all know there is a “favorite” list and “ignore” list in him mind.
I came on the site to teach so I’m going to start doing it look at all arsenal player Individually what are they good at we can find players in the league lower team who can shoot Pass control on are bette header of the ball than our arsenal player what that issaying that they are not good enough no one wants to hear it but the the English player are the weak link no fight no determination even player with less ability do more than some ofour player we will go no where with Ramsey Wilshire gibbs ox .what is their ability what do they do good
Teach on teacher & oh #FACK AW! !!
You are slating Ramsey?
Why is that?
The guy has been pushed out of position again by Wenger, if allowed to play where his DNA meant for him to play he would bounce back to form.
Wack, broken Gibbs and Ox can go.
#jus go aw
Many arsenal fans are deluded thinking a new manager will all of a sudden be given loads of money to sign players.
They are equally deluded to think that there is a huge pile of cash somewhere(even wenger said so).
How else can you explain wilshere,Ox,bellerin being starters.
The owners took a mortgage on arsenal(to buy the club and build the stadium) and they are still paying back.
Be glad of where you are,it could have been worse
One wolrld class CB, one world class CDM and one good CDM back up, is all that i feel is required to improve our squad no end. Arteta and Flamini out in Jan to make room, and i hate to say it, but Podolski may as well leave as he will never get a run in the side, So waste of squad position. Anyone know the real reason Alex Song left? was he forced out for money? did he jump ship for Barca? Did he have a fall out with a squad member? It was a transfer i did not or still do not understand. If his reason for leaving, makes it viable for him to return, then i wud snap him up asap. Along with Wanyama. Add those 2, to a world class CB and we have a squad that can challenge.
Song plays one good game against Man City and bandwagon fans like yourself start calling for him to resigned he’s nowhere near the world-class CDM we require!!!
He is still better than what we have
actually i was song fan long before he left, and was gutted when he did. his performances for west ham are nothing to do with me wanting him to return, i didnt want him to leave. And wud still welcome him back.
And for the record, im a season ticket, north bank upper tier. not a blog fan like urself. TWAT
Any proof to back up that claim before abusing someone just cause he had a different opinion?
I find being called a bandwagon fan quite abusive really. especially when i spend £1500 a year to support my beloved Arsenal.All i was saying, was alex song wud do a great job for us again. if not better than before. and like i said, i was a fan of his long before he went to west ham on loan. i actually watch the whole picture, not just a single performance. im not a shallow fan like some on here.
It is okay our friend. There should be no fightings amongst we the Gooners please. Afterall, we are all at our various levels advocating the Arsenal cause.
Besides us needing a CB and DM, is there a left footed Alexis Sanchez around? LOL or just give Campbell a good run of games.
Arsene is the problem at Arsenal. Am sure if he demanded transfers of a defender and a combative midfielder, he would have got his wish. So stubborn a Man.
Pythagoras here greet you all and sends each of you including admin a big hug 🙂 🙂
That done, I blv the article is very spot on. We will go back to winning ways as soon as wenger is gone. The squad is good, the finances are okay and as much as we thank wenger for that, he doesn’t seem to know what to do next n another coach should come take over
“We will go back to winning ways as soon as AW is gone” are those the same winning ways he brought to this club
We are talking about logic, simple logic.
We are talking about common sense, simple common sense.
We all want, deep down and truly, see the team succeed and bring trophies ( I mean imagine Arsenal winning the CL… I would go mad…!! But we all know it is just never going to happen).
Arsenal problem… Arsene Wenger, but the concern goes deeper…
The all situation pleases the board ( and even those “fake” shareholders who pretend to look after the fan interests, but are more than happy to see their shares grow everyday) and the useless and clueless chairman (a guy who has no love for the game and is owner of one of the biggest club in the UK… How weird and incomprehensible is it?).
Anyway, I believe we will have to “swallow” 3 more years of that “circus” and unambitious strategy (A manager who finds acceptable to go into a campaign with 6 defenders and cannot find a solution to a cascade of inexplicable injuries…!!!).
We seem to enter the season (every season) with NO CHANCE of achieving glory.
We are already out of one of the “small” cup and can barely sustain the pressure in the league due to injuries and tactical farces (Jack”the puffing”Wilshere as a number10… Joke or strike of genius?).
We will rise again because the club is too big to be just contend with crumbs…
We will become great again and win trophies (even continental ones) in the future because we have great fans and they are, in fact, successfully helping to keep the club in a healthy financial process…
5 pts behind Southhampton and 2 pts behind West Ham? Who would have dreamed that up, watched West Ham take it too City, press, press, press, the squad need more than a CDM, the CDM will not imprive our impotancy on top, what I thought would be the best midfield on the planet is letting us down, Carzola and Ramsey not a near their form a yr ago, Ozil out, Ox a mess, need to retool, need some power, looking forward to Theo and Kos return, should help…
Let’s not look around arsenal problem is arsene wenger He once said “I told you I will slowly give you a national team ” that is why he wants to ruin arsenal by making wilshere the player to determine where others will play.
He was aware the fans are clamoring for podolski and campbell because they had a good game in the CL he decideS to keep them on bench against sunderland. Wenger is now weak and he is too sentimental. He should change his managerial style or get OUT.
This is one of the dumbest articles ever written. I could go over it point by point, but that would be a waste of time. First of all, Arsenal do use advanced diet and training techniques. Second, there are other “Good” teams are having the same issues Arsenal are having after World Cup (ie Dortmond, Napoli, Liverpool, Monaco and etc).
Chelsea have basically an unlimited amount of money. Heck they have something like 28 quality players on their books, that are on loan or B Team. If you look at Man City and Chelsea squads and add up how much they have spent, they should be first and second, every year. Southhampton is a blip on the map, in my honest opinion, but they have played well and deserve to be were they are. I think there are many teams that are under and over performing at the moment for a variety of reasons, I think the table will be more reflective, at the mid way point.
Now lets focus on our team…..first of all, as an Arsenal Fan that was born at Islington Hospital, I’m a little saddened by how we as fans behave. For one, we have a quiet stadium, which produces no fear for any Visiting team. As fans we should be ashamed of ourselves. Second, this site and the readers, spend a lot of time running down the team and especially the manager. As fans we are supposed to lift or team up, when they are down, not kick them when they are down. Yes, the team has issues, we do need a great CB and DM, but if you have looked in the transfer market, you will see it is slim pickings, unless you have Man Ciity or PSG money to spend. Now the most important point….Arsene Wenger! He is our manager, even if you don’t like him and feel he has passed his sell by date, you must as an Arsenal Fan, support him, while he is Arsenal manager. When the season is over, you can Bitch and moan all you want, I will support you on that, but during the season, while he is there, you support him, with everything that you have. We need him at his best, to help us deliver our best. Shouting in his face, will not make him perform better, that’s for sure!!
For Arsenal to be a great team, it requires great fans/support. We expect the team to give their all, so we as fans should be giving our all to the team. Yes, there are problems, that need to be addressed. But writing how crap we are, every other article cannot in the slightest, be considered helpful. Love and support Arsenal or find another team!!!
TonenoT your comment made sense… 3-4 years ago. i was the same, I wanted to support the team against all the angry fans but seriously look at this team now… look at all the weaknees that have not been resolved at all, look at all those players wenger killed, look at the failure to fix known weak position during transfer season. look at the lethargic pressing off of the ball. look at all players loosing their motivation staying on bench due to lack of rotation. it is getting pathetic. Wenger does not have a clue anymore on how to get his team going forward…
all do have right now is a bunch of players with basic football, no vision,no position awareness but come run up and down the field. Get any midfielder from any small team right now and fix him in our midfield and he will do the basic passing even better than what we have now. Any defender in Barca, Real Madrid, Bayern can do a better passing of the ball than any midfielder we have with vision and purpose. We just need better players than what we have.
ARSEN WENGER IAM AN ARROGANT MAN. HE DOES CARE ABOUT THE FAN . HE MAKEBPROFITS FOR THE SHAREHOLDERS.
U CAN SEE USAMOVE IS NOT COMPLAINING AND MAKING ANY NOISES AT ALL. THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY THEY GIVE ARSEN A NEW CONTRACT OF EIGHT MILLION. HE SAVE MONEY BY REFUSING TO BUY PLAYERS.
AFC is a business venture where owners dictate – simple. Wenger can keep on taking the flak on behalf of the owners as long his bank balance keeps on fattening – simple. That is how business works, all about the bottom line, called money – simple. Solution: Need a Manager who will NOT listen to Gazidis – that not so simple.
“AFC is a business venture where owners dictate – simple”. Talk about a blindingly obvious statement applicable to any pro league club team in world football. Is that supposed to be some sort of revelatory insight? Is it supposed to be some compare and contrast statement to hold up against football clubs that are not businesses and where owners don’t dictate, like say…….well actually can’t think of any.
Of course we could do better. I agree Wenger has some big faults. …..1) he should start the form players and leave struggling players for the lesser games and subs. 2) the players are too wiry and not strong enough. .The balance of the conditioning is wrong and leads to injuries 3) he brings on subs too late … This leaves us vulnerable between the 60th and 75th minutes 4) We need specialists in every position. .. His rotational policy does not work (ozil should stay at 10) 5) not enough set piece training 6) he is unwilling to overspend when we are short in a specific position (dm) sometimes a successful season requires overspending. 7) he should compromise on the passing success rate when in the opponents box. Fast and continuous through balls and headers will get us goals when opponents park the bus.
But I’m just a couch coach. … despite Arsenals faults I’m just there to enjoy the game . Go Gunners !
Oh yes I left out number 8) he continues to play Flamini who has been personally responsible for at least 3 goals against us this season. That’s 3 draws that could have been wins. 6 additional points would have put us close to Chelsea.
Im not complaining though. .. There are no perfect coaches. … Just kinda hoping Wenger reads this. .. lol!
No no no, NO BOARDROOM!
Wenger needs to go, all influence cut end of.
We need a new manager who will be allowed to manage the team.
No top manager worth his salt would take the job to be Wenger’s proxy puppet.
Can you imagine Wenger blocking transfers because he is having a hissy fit that Wack Wiltshire was benched by the new manager?
Doesn’t work, he should go and not look back.
I think Arsene’s time is really up.
Remember that old saying, “If you refuse to change, change will change you”
Arsenal’s problem is Arsene Wenger and his love for fringe and not strong enough players like Metersacer, Carzola, and Ozil. That is the problem. and as long as Arsene is at the helm, t will be the same story year in and out.
Let him leave with some pride still intact
I don care politics ~ What i know is that Alex Song got very good eye sight to see players in the good positions to score and got the good ball weight passes. I used to like him and i still feel the same thing right now. We miss that kind of players who can through the balls for our attacker to run behind the players. Get him back please Wenger no more politics we need the man.
To be sincerely main Arsenal problem is manager. when will change this mediocre Wenger, the new manager may know the right things at the right time. I think that is the best options for Arsenal problem.