Gooner Corner

[frogpatrol]

KMan said: I don't think we deserved a point.

Still Spewing

 

Agree. We got just what we deserved.

 

Le Boss has to learn soon that the same game plan does not work against all teams. The opposition have figured us out. So, now it is time for us, too, to adjust to them. Playing the same players match after match with little squad rotation and little tactial creativity is not the way to go. How many draws (and a los or two) does it take to realize this?

 

On another note, we are badly missing Silva, aren't well? The cover he provides at the back frees up Paddy to do so much more. Now, Paddy is doing the work of 1 1/2 midfielders.

 

Deep breath.

[naughtyboy]

Far too many of the Arsenal "stars" don't want to know when the going gets tough. In particular Henry, Viera get very petulant when things are not going their way.

At this stage you have to fancy Chelsea for the title. They are playing much better and have plenty of cover for injuries, loss of form.

[kman]

frogpatrol said:On another note, we are badly missing Silva, aren't well?

Never thought I'd say it but yes we are.

 

Cheers

K.

[kman]

naughtyboy said:At this stage you have to fancy Chelsea for the title. They are playing much better and have plenty of cover for injuries, loss of form.

I would certainly agree that on current form Chelsea are clear favourites. However I still think they will fuck up somewhere along the line, and it will be down to the 2 usual suspects to fight it out.

 

The Championship is not won at Christmas as Us, the Mancs, Liverpool and Leeds have all come to realise in the last few years.

 

Cheers

K.

[Steve]

Biblbies, Liverpool was looking very ordinary the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half. We scored in that time. Had we pressed our advantage we'd have scored a second. The Arsenal of September would have. Liverpool was hungrier in the challenge than us, but we were lacksadaisial.

 

Its now getting apparant we don't start playing till we have to. Meaning a goal down. I don't think its tactics. We won 49 games without a loss and clubs had more than enough time to suss us out in that time. Same with the first 6 or 7 games this season. I think its a couple of things.

 

The club is not playing for each other anymore. We used to move into space when our player had the ball so that we could get the ball and quickly move it forward. I saw 2 and 3 players around our wingers and full backs at times. Just like in basketball here, its common sense that if there are 3 players around a player, someone is open and that player knows his marker is somewhere else and has to come to the man in trouble for a pass. I saw us let each other get trapped on the touch line too often. Cesc is good but he has very limited defensive skills. He has no pace, can not tackle (not his fault, it just the facts), he's an offensive minded center mid that MUST have a defensive center mid, ball winner behind him. Silva provided that before he got hurt and while Paddy was out and we were scoring goals in bunches.

 

Wenger doesn't substitute players early enough. Not enough squad rotation. He needs to sub out players earlier. If a player is having one of those days at the office take him out. Simple as that. Either Pires or Reyes should not have seen the 2nd half. van Persie should hav been on at half time or after an hour at worst for one of those two. Why is Henry still on the pitch in games when we we're up 4-1 after an hour? Wenger says our guys are tired. Of course they are. Henry has played all year round, every year since '99. Each summer he's playing in a competition, no rest for him at all. So why is he still on the pitch till the end of the game for each game? Those last 20 or 30 minutes wear you down after a while, when he could be rested and saved and not risk injury.

 

Finally, Wenger needs a team meeting. Show the first half of the Liverpool game and just let them sit through the agony of seeing themselves.

 

The bottom line is they are not motivated. Its still early days. Chelsea will hit a bad patch and they don't have the experience of making a title run like we do or even Man Utd. If we lose the title though, I'd prefer Chelsea win it. If they do, then at least we all know it was bought and paid for ala Jack Walker and Blackburn in '95, but if Man Utd wins it we were out managed, I can't stomach that. I'd rather be outspent than outmanaged.

[chelseafan]

Well Dec 6th could be crunch time, nearly a six-pointer ;-)

 

I personally think we will draw against newcastle this weekend and the gunners will beat Birmingam - gap 3 points.

 

Arsenal to beat Chelsea, gap 0.

 

Then it really WILL get excitiing ::

[Steve]

Chelsea fan, I can see you typing that with a smirk on your face..lol...its early still. How many times have long time fans have to tell me that titles aren't won in December?

 

We were 4 points behind Man Utd in January last year. We drew v. Brum, Bolton, Leicester around the same time. Man Utd had their turn to play badly, we are having ours. The odds are Chelsea can't maintain this form the whole season. They could, but the odds are not good. It was difficult to see us losing the title in September, its difficult seeing Chelsea not winning it now. Fortunes change throughout the season.

[sayjann]

have to agree Steve.

Arsenal are traditionally poor in November and i remember seeing in the paper the stats from the last few seasons.

i forget the actual stats and i cannot find them anymore but i seem to remember they had only earned around 6 points out of the last 40 odd during the last few seasons(but i may be wrong).

 

MU are normally good after the New Year and hopefully the current run will continue and we can keep it up.

MU had a bad start but i did think this was down to Players missing but now we have a full squad we are beginning to look look good.

 

Chelsea WILL have a bad period,everyone does but when will it happen?.

i hope it comes over the Xmas/New Year period and gives my Team a chance to catch up.

if Chelsea have maintained their momentum when March comes i will be worried.

[Steve]

Arsenal always does well after the new year as well. Even in '03 when we lost the title our title we had more points in the last half of the season than we did in the first half. Last season we were even for both seasons (13 wins, 6 draws) the first time in a long time.

 

My guess is when the FA cup, CL and PL fixtures pile up they will be caught off guard. Their money buys them insurance against injuries and bad form of some players. They can rotate class for class at almost every position.

 

Vieira is missing for the Chelsea game btw. Suspension. So Chelsea should be favored and I actually like that. We play better with a bunker mentality anyway.

[chelseafan]

Steve

 

I am the most pessimistic football fan on the planet and yes, I still dont think we will win the title, however, I have more hope this season than any other. One thing that we have traditionally lacked is the ability to kill of so-called "smaller teams", with the exception of Man City (penalty), we seem to have broken that curse.

Whilst we Chelsea fans will never have the same rapport with Mourinho as we did with Ranieri, I believe the former has instilled a confidence in the team. I reckon it could be our turn (famous last words).

Incidentally, if we DO win the title next year, not only will it be Chelseas 100 year centenary, it will also be 50 years since we last won the title......is that fate or what

 

Watching tonights match (v Fulham), my smirk can only get bigger