Arsenal Banter Archive February 13 2014

13 Feb 2014 23:18:31
Alright, heres one;

The transfer window can magically be opened for 24hrs tomorrow and your Arsene wenger sat on current resources, with the same situation at hand. Who would you buy? People like suarez etc are out as its just not realistic, espesh mid season.

Mine would be draxler allday. Best available at this time and likely to move. Pace and intelligence to make use of ozils talents.

I'd say Cavani and Pogba/Song

Song would be a great shout and Balotelli, both know EPL well so would settle quickly and push us into another gear.
But in the real world Flamini and Gnarby are probably worth a go against Liverpool and Bayern

13 Feb 2014 22:19:11
ive had 24 hours to assess yesterdays game and I still can't believe we didn't get the 3 points. united were for the taking, their weakest team in decades and we bottled it. ok you may say a 0-0 is good after a 5-1 thrashing but seriously we gave a weak united team too much respect. we were too cautious and lacked any penetration, it was ideal opportunity lost to go top again.
I can't knock the defence they did their job kept a clean sheet thanks to some brilliance from szecsney. but the midfield and attack needs to be addressed asap.
let me start with arteta, once again he nearly cost us with his lax performance, he is not a defensive mid and is found out against decent opposition albeit it be a weak united team. I have nothing against arteta but in the best interest of the team he is the weakest link, he is too slow to track back and is turned inside out against tricky midfielders. ozil actually played well he tracked back and looked our most dangerous player. he needs players around him to do the donkey work and given a free role - if given space and time will destroy teams. cazorla had a fairly decent game but lacks the final ball or shot, needs to get back to his last seasons form. jack is one of those players that can turn a game on its head, but lately he has been acting like a diva. constantly moaning and acting like a drama queen if a decision doesn't go his way, it affects his game and his passing becomes wayward and he loses the ball in dangerous areas. he needs to play with confidence, forget the moaning and get on with the game. he is the future of arsenal that boy! rosicky didn't cover himself in glory, we need him at his best, making mazy runs and linking play, he had a off night.
upfront giroud spends more time slamming the pitch or clenching his fists, earlier in the season he would have scored a hattrick but he just can't find the net, his link play was pants, he could have done much better. he needs a break - its time for podolski or sonogo to step up to the plate.
we were too negative and should have penetrated their ageing defence, but the game fizzled out to a bore draw. when we play fast one touch football no one can compete with us, this is what we need to do - up the tempo - teams are given too much time to close us down, we are missing theo as an outlet big time!
we have Liverpool again on the weekend and I think and hope the team remember what happened last time and give them a taste of their own medicine. we kept rooney rvp and mata quiet yesterday and we need to do the same to the Liverpool attack and we will win.

team for Liverpool

. szecs
sagna merti kosci gibbs
. flamini
ox jack rosicky
. ozil
. podolski

Hulk Hogunner

{Ed007's Note - Will you please remember to log-in mate, cheers.}

Good post Hulk

I agree with everything you wrote mate, but I'm not thinking too much about the Man United game. I think we could and should have won but it came at the wrong time and so the game from both sides was understandable.
I believe a win against Liverpool will be a massive boost for the remainder of the season. It will bring confidence and belief to the players and a possible cup final to look forward to.
However with the game against bayern on wed we cannot afford to play too many of our main starters particularly ozil and giroud.
The team I would play against Liverpool is as follows;
Schezny
Jenk. Kosc. Verm. Gibbs.
Zelalem. Flamini.
Gnabry. Cazorla. Rosicky
Podolski
This way players like wilshere, ozil and giroud get a valuable breather and we still have a strong lineup.
Cazorla through the centre is where he is best and most effective. Don't care if it's a 1-0 or 4-0 a win is needed.

Regarding the bayern game, I heard a very interesting stat; arsenal have never lost a game at the emirates on a Wednesday. Bayern were coming for you!

13 Feb 2014 21:15:13
As the anxiety builds following our recent performances, consider this .

On Dec 26th Aaron Ramsey walked off the pitch with what seemed like a minor injury. 17 days later Sami Nasri was stretchered off having been the recipient of a nasty challenge and there was talk of him not returning again this season. Nasri is now back in training whereas Ramsey is still weeks away from a return. What the hell is going on?

Every season we have this (remember Jack walking off during the pre-season game vs Henry's Red Bulls?. and we didn't see him again for over a year). We have great players but they are being looked after by a bunch of muppets. It's like having your Ferrari serviced at Halfords!

We need better training methods/medical expertise to compete not better players. Wenger loves his stats and surely they will prove this is the most obvious deficiency at the club right now.

Gj14,

It's a question we are always asking mate, totally agree with you, its a joke.

Gj that's an excellent question and one that deserves an answer, Clichy said when he arrived at city that they tackled full blooded in training while at Arsenal that wasn't allowed.
Maybe that's a small part of a complex problem.

13 Feb 2014 19:44:25
Sunderland
Stoke
Swansea

That's how you get back on track.

Absolute must wins

Problem is they are must wins for them too

13 Feb 2014 18:49:19
Hiya Dags,
thanks for the reply mate. I get where your coming from. Imho I feel he should put out his strongest possible side. I honestly think Sunday is your biggest game of the season so far. A real must win game. Makes last week look like a blip like after City game, would be a huge confidence boost for the rest of the season esp with Bayern nxt week or lose and more doubt for same reason. I'm very surprised he really didn't go after Utd last night for the same reason. Just wanted to say too that I was disappointed with the crowd booing at full time though considering your position in League and cups but hey ho that's the price we pay for high expectations. The joys of being a footie fan eh lol

Hi Simonpw,

Spot on mate. Personally I think Wenger has a dilemma on his hands. We do not have a big enough or strong enough squad to fight on all 3 fronts, IMO.

If we go for all 3 than I think we will burn out and end up empty handed, like in previous seasons.

It's just my opinion and I have stated many times on here, forget the CL. Sorry, but we are not good enough, we look tired, berift of ideas and feeling the pinch where our injuries are concerned.

For me, concentrate of Prem League and FA Cup and if we pick up one of them than I consider that a good season and an improvement on the previous 8 and a great foundation to kick on for next season, what with the monkey being off our back et al.

I just read somewhere he said he's going to make changes because of the effort put in by the players in the last 2 games, so it looks like he's prioritizing the CL. I guess the financial benefits are greater and he won't want a tonking over there either. I guess its a confidence thing for the squad too. It's catch 22 at the moment for him really. Is it better to have many fingers in many pies or all your eggs in 1 basket lmao.
Tbh a fresh side with a bit of youth/speed might not be a bad thing for you either. What I have noticed over the last 4/5 games your transition has really got slower, and it might be a revelation taking Giroud out and putting a pacey Sonogo or Podolski up there.

13 Feb 2014 17:58:35
A lot of great posts where I feel the same way. Everything was too slow yesterday even when we break. Can someone please tell me why we only have one player in the box when we cross balls this has been happening for years. You need one running to the near post one to the far post and one at the edge of the area. These guys just don't want it bad enough. Besides Giroud not one player made a run to the box when sagna was crossing the ball. I agree on Giroud he is a good second striker works hard but just not the world class finisher needed. Second, Podolski is key because he shoots from long range which forces the defense to respect his shot, we are so easy to defend when he is not out there because we look for the perfect goal.

Good points Darren.

13 Feb 2014 16:50:54
Who are we kidding here. We are playing so slow lathargic football with no pace, we got a team full of providers and so called assisters. Who in the team is our icon player who do you want to see get the ball who are other teams scared of. We are top of the league I hear you say, correct, but when was the last time we beat a top team home or away. It's because we are lacking. Wenger says these guys deserve success, why. You earn success by being special. I fear we are playing as if we have the weight of the world in our boots. Of all the top sides we are vulnerable in big games. I can still dream though.

13 Feb 2014 16:06:05
Well there you go! My thoughts on last night are as follows. Manchester United were one of the weakest teams we are going to come up against this season. My youngest son who is 14 pointed out that is it coincindence but it looked like the the three players for Utd that are rumoured to leave ie Rooney, Vidic, and RVP virtually took no part in the game or was it showed no interest, which was in our favour. At the moment Giroud couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo. For 42 million Ozil has got to pull his socks up as I fear the board will start thinking that after breaking their hard nosed policy is it worth paying out big money again for a player as they are getting no return for their money ( can't blame them for that). Wenger! I agree with Dags what the hell is going on with his descisions was the Pod injured last night? is he saving him for the FA Cup game against Liverpool? god knows. Why only one substitution last night?. Too late to buy anyone now AGAIN! For 8 million a year I want to see a bit more from a manager or is that a rumour too is he going to sign a new contract.? or is it a play on words that he will sign a contract for life that keeps him at Arsenal but just to preside over proceedings. Think of it this way. If he were to hand over the reins in the summer he would probably want the new manager to choose and BUY! his own players that he sees fit. Rather that Wenger buying players in the January window only for a new manager to have a clear out when he arrives if there is a new manager on the horizon (Laudrup!) who knows?
Also our passing has become dire lately. Jack has got to stop falling over at every opportunity. He is starting to irritate me with it. We are now stuck with what we have got. I believe we should play our weakened teams now in the CL and concentrate on the PL and FA Cup controversial I know but let's win something please.

Hmmmm controversial, lol

13 Feb 2014 14:19:34
Without beating around the bush, we've been terrible for a while now so the last 2 results really don't shock me. We have been winning games playing poorly previous to them, and waiting, hell hoping that we will smash a team sometime soon and regain our former glory. It has not happened yet, but surely it has to turn around soon?
I see our normal faithful fans from this site losing this faith somewhat after last night, justifiably so may I add. However, this faith must return, just as Rambo is going to return, just as Ozil is going to return, just as Giroud is going to return. This season is not a flash in the pan, we are a different beast to last season, we are just suffering a dip in form.
Who remembers the Bayern result last year?!?! You know the one, the one that sent us on an incredible 2013 run leaving all in our wake?!?! Well you handsome goons, that game repeats itelf next week at a point I think we really need it. let's repeat what we did to them last year, let's remind ourselves how good we are, let's remind others that on our day we can be the best, let's remind the world to be afraid of the mighty Arsenal!
My point, do not lose faith in our club, and the club will repay this faith with its own rewards.

Peace out you handsome Goons :)

Boogz, you god damn handsome devil you.

That's what you call a top war-cry.

As Delia once said "Let's be avin you"

13 Feb 2014 13:29:20
Not really sure what all the moaning is about, the game has gone, we have picked 1 point from 6 AND, yes and we are a point off the league, only 10 games to go and with all the injuries we have had, I think that ain't bad. You can moan all you like but March to May we have been pretty good in recent seasons .we are still hanging on in.

For me the Summer is the critical time, Wenger has got a side who can challenge, even with injuries but he now needs to go that step further and get a couple or worldy names, if he fails then next season should( not saying it will be ) be his last

Good post Banbury

13 Feb 2014 11:16:02
Was at the game last night. Team was edgy, the usual sharpness wasn't there.

Very disappointing result, obviously.

They played like they didn't want to lose- ok understandable after Saturday, but they seemed held back and inhibited. Giroud worked hard as he usually does, but isn't relaxed imo, trying too hard- I guess he feels the weight of being main/only striker (?) and could do with a break. I know he isn't "top quality", but he brings something different to the team and will be a good squad player.

We all know we need a top striker in this team, but there is nothing we can do about it now and have to support the players who are playing.

If I think back to my expectations in August, the one thing I wanted to see was improvement/progression and to at least be challenge at the top- which in all fairness we have so far.

I think what's frustrating is being in 'the mix' and then perhaps (seasons isn't over yet!) falling short, due to an extra signing or two (plus we've missed Rambo and theo, what a pity, a different team with those two).

However, for me it was always about progression this season, with an expectation of adding some quality players (now we have money to spent) in the summer and then really pushing on.


Rambo back soon and also hopefully we can get some form back- I suspect there will be some twists and turns yet this season.

13 Feb 2014 10:52:13
I don't think we should get too despondent, after all we are only 1 point off top place and even if City win their game in hand we will only be 1 point behind them.
It's how we recover after the hard fixtures we are enduring at present that's important.
Chelsea are most likely to progress in the CL, which will take its toll and have a hard FA Cup task against City. Man City, now have, after last nights postponement, have to squeeze in another fixture, into a busy schedule.
The next 3 fixtures are crucial and could define our season. In reality our best chance of winning a trophy will be in the FA Cup and PL, due to the hard draw in CL and the quality teams left in the competition, even if we were to get past Bayern. I would suggest that we will have to rotate over the next two fixtures. Flamini is back after suspension and I would like to see Ox & Podolski used on Sunday, possibly Bendtner or Sanogo as well. Gnabry, Vermaelen, Monreal, etc, could all be used.

13 Feb 2014 10:34:21
Look. I understand the frustration, and I was frustrated too. but 1 point from the top, taking city to win their game in hand.

now we have a fairly decent run in, until we meet, spurs, chelsea and city.

what gives me hope is.

1) flamini is back on sunday

2) Ramsey should be back for the next difficult run in.

and if we pick up the points to keep us within touching distance, we will do well.

its all about building the momentum. and the way ozil played yesterday was sensational. he played better than RVP, rooney and mata. the 3 players who would make our team.

we underestimate his genius, and the small flicks, the calm on the ball. he was up for it. defense was solid. RVP missed his sitters, we made hard work in trying to score a goal, but the team play was amazing. shame we do not have a fear factor up top.

giroud is good. I like him, he brings a lot to the team, but he would be an even better impact player.

theo being out hurt us yest. no width and our top cross man was sagna a RB.

ox came on and did fairly well. no idea why gnabry or poldi not playing. perhaps saving them for sunday? rotation can hurt in these situations.

we have a good team, not the best on paper but a working unit.

we clearly lack width and clinical finishing not to forget pace.

in the summer buying the likes of draxler and balotelli would add that.

i understand a lot of people don't like balotelli. i'm not his biggest fan, but he would be a nightmare for defenders. his confidence or cockiness is simply needed. no more mr nice guy.

hes not a bad team mate, everyone he played with loved him. its just the coaches that had a difficult time channeling that potential.

for me he is the complete player for our system.

tall and strong, he can keep hold of the ball like giroud, but he can be calm with the ball at his feet too.

strong aerial presence, his penalties are insane. and for the price, which would be more reasonable, compared to the others on the market, it would solve our immediate crisis. also gives us two strikers who can slot in for each other.

but saying all that I really do not see him being the one that wenger buys. unless its desperation.

alot of strikers will be on the move.

Mandzukic, Jackson martinez, diego costa.

but for me the two main players teams will be going after will be Suarez and Aguero.

Madrid and Barca will be in that for sure.

Ive heard barca are going to be open to offers on Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, cuenca.

Man utd will be big buyers this summer, along with city or chelsea depends on which one does not win the title.

13 Feb 2014 09:33:02
Do people think that liverpool are going to finish above us? Think they can win the league? Only 3 points behind us now.

I ask because my other half is liverpool and it's painful

Based on current form? yes it's possible mate.

And fair do's to 'em I suppose. they've made real progress - and they hung on to Suarez.imagine if we'd hung on to RVP. I know - different situation, but still.

Oh for Theo and an injection of pace.

13 Feb 2014 10:55:22
I've got 3 Liverpool fans giving me stick on a daily basis, lol, but personally never write you off, wins like last night are so crucial for confidence and Liverpool have that plus the three boys up front.

If we don't I would genuinely like you guys to win it, great club and hands down a better set of fans than Uniteds.

Hoping for a great game Sunday.

13 Feb 2014 09:10:48
Banter please Eds.

For all but especially dagenham gooner.

I don't often see negativity from you buddy.
But I can see you were really pi55ed off with last nights result. And I fully understand why with the way Utd have performed this season. They were there for the taking last night.
I wondered what you opinion is on the Tottenham revival? No one seems to be mentioning them. But they demolished Newcastle (i know they haven't played well since the turn if the year) last night and sit 3 point behind Pool. I am getting worried that they could come along and spoil the party for either Pool or Arsenal.
If you or us slip up they could well come and snatch 4th at either teams expense.
I still don't see us as title contenders tbh and as said before if we cannot win it, out of the others around the top Arsenal would be the team I would most like too.
Can you see Tottenham coming along and spoiling the CL party?
God please I seriously hope not.
Good look guys for the rest of the season. And looking forward to the match at the weekend. Should be a cracker!
vrcomp
Y.N.W.A.

Hi vrcomp,

You noticed? lol.

Yes I was a bit peeved about last night's result, thought it was a poor, one dimensional performance from us, with too many under-achievers.

I hate to say it mate, but agree. Tottenham are looking pretty good at the moment and are building up a good head of steam.

Will they gatecrash the party? possibly, lol.

Oops. That should be dagenham gunner. Sorry :)

Vcromp. from 12 games, you guys play, city, man utd, spurs, chelsea, southampton away and cardiff ( relegation team away)

being in the mix for the title, only adds pressure, so when the big teams come to play, they will be big games. if you can win your home games your fine for top 4. win more and in with a shout of title.

but from 12 games, 6 will be difficult. so its not over till its over.

I forgive you mate, lol

13 Feb 2014 07:59:11
These Balotelli rumours are gaining speed. Any truth eds?

Really can't see wenger going for him. He's a lot of trouble

13 Feb 2014 07:27:17
morning boys and girls
so we have bottled it AGAIN. and liverpool are the new favs to win the league oh and look what time of the year it is.? time to crash out of every cup. what i'm not getting is how have we been front runners all this time but yet where getting smashed by the teams around us is there that much of a difference between us? on paper we have the hardest run in and I can only see us just pinching 4th again. I think we all new realisticly we wasnt going to win it but 2nd was a real possibility I just hope we don't have a mojor crash and burn. rant over :)

13 Feb 2014 03:21:44
I think tonight was much more about building a platform and momentum for the run in. The team needed to find their rhythm and groove again. 3 points would be nice, but I thought the play and cohesion was a better result than the number of points we took. Feeling a lot better about the last third of the season than 3 days ago.

Great to see Gibbs back in, thought he had a strong game. Lots of attacking play down the left with solid defence.

YYC you have called it spot on mate, we did look nervy ( understandably) but better than for a while.
Gibbo has had a break and looked better for it plus I thought Ozil looked a little more confident than of late.

Thanks G62 mate. Özil looked a lot better. I thought he and Santi were stand outs in the attacking third. Had his head up for the whole game, didn't get caught dawdling on the ball and tracked back and harried. I know that last part isn't his game, he'll never lead in tackles LOL but it showed he was in the game mentally.

13 Feb 2014 01:26:02
Don't know if anyone noticed the pattern here but today's game was a lot like the game against chelsea.
We just came off the back of a beating and the team today looked very cautious. A team that didn't want to concede and didn't want to lose.
Have to say though, still was a poor resul not been a good week for us, and so far not a good month either.
Regarding the post about only using 1 sub, I think the reason behind this was also the same in the Chelsea game, we looked the more likely to score but didn't want to be vulnerable in defence, again the defeat to Liverpool must've played its part.
I am a little worried about the fa cup match, surely we got to rest a few players but Liverpool on the other hand are likely to play a full strength team as they don't have champions league to think about. I'm hoping we can squeeze out a win but it's going to be tough.
Good thing Chelsea drew otherwise today would have looked a lot worse.
On to the next game then, this season is starting to become stressful now, guessing that's what happens when your teams competitive after so long.
COYG

Waq your right mate it is stressful but ain't it nice to be back in the stress zone after being also rans for so long.
I dread to think what my bp was in the last few minutes last night

13 Feb 2014 00:12:28
Ok so every team that plays Arsenal now uses the same tactic defend as deep as you can and wait for Arsenal to make a mistake. It's getting really frustrating and it's really not fair!

Alternatively, Wenger uses the same tactics against every team pass the ball about until the defense gets drawn out and expose the gaps. Its really not fair!

That my friend is tactics sometimes they get found out and if you haven't got the players to perfectly execute those tactics they come unstuck! Our best footy was at the start of the season we are currently missing Rambo, Walcott and Flamini arguably our best 3 outfield players barring Per and Kos! Look at the state of united without their 2 best players in Van Pussey and Shrek.