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General Reserves Talk

  • Thread starter M+D
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M+D

Established Member
ricky1985 said:
Didn't Eastmond injure himself fairly early on in pre-season, though?

I think when you compare Eastmond and Frimpong the difference couldn't be more stark. Frimpong has all the physical power and strength in the world, but doesn't really have much of a clue when he has to go beyond that. Eastmond lacks that power, but has spent years finding a way to compete without it - as a result he's developed, in my opinion, and understanding of the game that's rare in an 18 year old.

If you combined the two of them you'd have an 18 year old world beater!

However, whilst I'm convinced Eastmond will develop that power - not to Frimpong's level but enough to compete at the top level - you can never say for sure whether Frimpong will develop the awareness/reading of the game that Eastmond has.

You could well be right about Eastmond getting a knock in pre-season, seems ages ago now :lol:

(As ever) you make a great case for Eastmond, we'll have to see whether he can gain that much needed power and see how much he improves on the ball in time.

Whether he makes it here or not though, the coaches have to be applauded for trying him out in defensive midfield, he was an average right back at best.
 

ricky1985

Established Member
Klaus Daimler said:
ricky1985 said:
Klaus Daimler said:
FT. 1-1. Szczesny, Eastmond, Randall and JET impressed me the most in Arsenal.

I loved JET's expression when he scored, by the way. He was all: "Yeah, I know, I know. It was pretty great. Just like I planned."
We spend the whole game saying how JET is strutting around like he owns the place - and then he goes and plays like that second half and you can see exactly why he thinks he does!
Yep. Like M+D said, he's way past the level of reserve team football already. I can't believe we haven't loaned him out yet. He looks a bit like Wilshere did his last year in the reserves. I don't really consider it arrogant to be fair. It's more a case of knowing one's current level.
We either have to loan him or involve him. one or the other because he's far too good for the likes of Manchester City's "Elite Development Squad".

I agree his celebration was fantastic BTW.
 

ricky1985

Established Member
M+D said:
Whether he makes it here or not though, the coaches have to be applauded for trying him out in defensive midfield, he was an average right back at best.
Absolutely. I thought he was a no-hoper at fullback, a matter of time before he left for a lower level.

Once again just goes to show Wenger and his staff know infinitely more than we could ever hope too. It's got to the point where I don't even question where they play young players now, because I trust what they're doing. One of the main reasons I've accepted Wilshere playing deep in the first team, even though my preference is for him to play further forward.
 

Meatwad

Well-Known Member
oh and i hope that when we're preparing for bnpulis and his copycats that JET is playing the role of delap. we have no excuse when we go up against those talentless hacks not to be ready when they throw their one useful tactic at us.
 

otfgoon

Established Member
ricky1985 said:
Absolutely. I thought he was a no-hoper at fullback, a matter of time before he left for a lower level.

Once again just goes to show Wenger and his staff know infinitely more than we could ever hope too. It's got to the point where I don't even question where they play young players now, because I trust what they're doing. One of the main reasons I've accepted Wilshere playing deep in the first team, even though my preference is for him to play further forward.

Gibbs was another smart move. Thought he was a well rounded but average winger when he was playing there. They then shifted him to left back and he's not looked back.

Still not convinced about JET, I don't think his link up play or awareness is good enough.
 

Klaus Daimler

Established Member
ricky1985 said:
Klaus Daimler said:
ricky1985 said:
We spend the whole game saying how JET is strutting around like he owns the place - and then he goes and plays like that second half and you can see exactly why he thinks he does!
Yep. Like M+D said, he's way past the level of reserve team football already. I can't believe we haven't loaned him out yet. He looks a bit like Wilshere did his last year in the reserves. I don't really consider it arrogant to be fair. It's more a case of knowing one's current level.
We either have to loan him or involve him. one or the other because he's far too good for the likes of Manchester City's "Elite Development Squad".
Yeah, exactly. In a way I believe that he, too, was affected by our injury-ridden start to the season. I'm pretty sure that he'd be getting games on a regular basis in the Championship right now if Bendtner or van Persie had been up and running. As it currently stands I think that JET is the only backup we've got for the centreforward position, should Chamakh get injured. Arshavin might do the job for a few games but he obviously gets frustrated there. Theo and Vela will never play that role though, not within this formation. That only leaves JET. It's probably the only reason he's still here.
 

GunnerBP

Established Member
Trusted ⭐
Overall, I'd say that our reserves are still adjusting to reserve team football. We have a couple of players who just aren't good enough (Hoyte and Randall) and then a bunch of players who are getting adjusted to the step up from the u-18s (Aneke, Afobe, Deacon, Miguel). However the players with first team experience save the team. JET and Szczesny were a level above everyone else. Djourou is getting back into shape and only struggled because he had to constantly cover for the horrible Hoyte. Eastmond looked pretty good in midfield, but I would have liked him to stay more centrally instead of attacking so much. Aneke and Randall do not provide enough cover if he was caught out of position.

Lets hope that against Tottenham JET can get some playing time. Djourou will probably start in the defense and it would be nice for Miguel and Eastmond to make the bench. I would prefer for Szczesny to start in goal, but Fabianski probably will start.

Man City also had a great feed even though their commentator was a joke.
 

Nela

Established Member
Don Pacifico said:
Just occurred to me but what's happened to Lansbury?
He was supposed to go on loan but the fact that Frimpong got a long term injury and Lansbury himself picked up an injury as well supposedly put those plans on hold.

He was training with the first team yesterday ahead of the Braga game.
 

outlaw_member

Established Member
Wenger has his critics, myself included, but he has set us for life with the youth academy he has helped establish. I've yet to see Chuks Aneke play, but I wasn't surprised at all by his technical quality in the video M+D posted. I've got a feeling that our best years won't come with this current lot, although I hope I'm wrong, but only once Ramsey, Wilshere, JET, Aneke and others from our academy are the stars of the team. I'm fully convinced that we'll see a day, one day, when we're winning everything with a home grown team.
 

ricky1985

Established Member
That's the dream mate.

The talent coming through is quite unbelievable, and even Wenger's harshest critics have to applaud the astonishing job he's done putting it all together.

Fans who say "we've heard it all before" literally haven't got a clue. The interesting point, for me, is whether the generation beyond the current crop are as talented, and whether that level of quality carries on through each new generation. There's no reason to suggest it won't because we've got talent after talent over a span of 4 years from Kieran Gibbs, who is nearly 21, to Chuks Aneke and Benik Afobe at 17. We just haven't heard that much about the next generation just yet.
 

outlaw_member

Established Member
The beauty of an academy is it ensures that a certain level of quality is sustained, no matter how incompetent the management becomes. Essentially, meaning that we'll never fall below a certain standard, no matter what the future holds. What would be really interesting is how many players from the Wilshere and Afobe generation make it into the first team.

When Cruijff requested Barcelona to replicate Ajax's academy in 1979, the first signs of its success became prevalent 10 years later when Amor and Guardiola came through, but it was only another decade after when it really proved its worth with a significant number of graduates. It would be quite outstanding if we're able to promote 5-6 players from the current crop into the first team within the next few years.

One advantage we have is that we've got a significant pool of black youths to choose from, and youngsters like JET will be the archetype, of the powerfully built products who can combine their athleticism with technical proficiency.
 

Timleaf

Established Member
I'm not a big follower of the reserves or the youth teams, but I've been hugely impressed by most of the youngsters I've seen breaking in to the first team over the leat 12 months or so. Wilshere, Frimpong, Eastmond, JET, Bartley, Coquelin and Lansbury will, injury permitting, all have long careers at the top level of the premier league, even if some of them have to eventually leave us to get football.

I think it's now gotten to the point with our youth players where even the average ones will probably go on to play for premier league clubs.
 

Don Pacifico

Established Member
From Tim Vickery's BBC blog:

Q) What do you think of Arsenal's new signing due to arrive in January, Wellington Silva? Do you think he could make it to the top?
Peter Hornsby

A) Tiny, talented and a very tricky support striker who can beat the defender on either side. Any move across continents is a gamble, especially so at this age. Can he cope with all the changes he is going through? I have heard that there are already fears about things going to his head.

He has been eased in gently, spending some time with Arsenal and then going back to Fluminense in Brazil. Recently on his return to Rio, he awarded himself some holiday at a time when the club had an injury crisis with their strikers. Coach Muricy Ramalho was not impressed. To be honest, I think I would have preferred for him to stay in Brazil and build a career at home for a couple of years before making the move.
 

outlaw_member

Established Member
Wellington sounds like a real prodigy. It's the first time we've been able to attain a work permit for a talented South American attacker, so I hope we've acquired the real deal. Given, that Wenger attempted to sign Rivaldo and Ronaldinho in the past, it's be quite something if he was of a similar ilk.
 

Timleaf

Established Member
Just out of curiosity, what's the consensus on Lansbury? How highly do people rate him? He's definitely gonna have a long career as a Premiership footballer, but is he good enough to be an Arsenal and England standard player in the longer term?
 

Armor for Sleep

Established Member
I hope so. He's got a lot of things going for him. Not sure if he'll become a starter for club and country but I reckon he could become a valuable squad player here.

I honestly wouldn't mind seeing him play in Belgrade next week. Great work rate, tenacity and he can play football too.
 

ricky1985

Established Member
Timleaf said:
Just out of curiosity, what's the consensus on Lansbury? How highly do people rate him? He's definitely gonna have a long career as a Premiership footballer, but is he good enough to be an Arsenal and England standard player in the longer term?
I personally don't see him for a long while and without lots of improvement/experience being good enough to nail down a place in our team. There are a few phenomenal talents ahead of him in midfield - Ramsey, Wilshere, and Aneke.

That said, I would absolutely love it if he can find a place in the squad. This squad's answer to Ray Parlour, and I think he can.

Last night he played out of position on the right wing and struggled a little here and there, but I was so impressed with how hard he worked, and how mature and responsible he was in covering others and taking up smart positions. How he was still running in the 120th minute, with the little football he's played that's amazing and shows the physical potential he has. He lacks a little something technically, but that's only because he's at Arsenal - he's one of the best technicians in terms of the young English players around. He can pass, he can tackle, he can shoot, he can run, he's athletically built, he makes good decisions - the raw ingredients are there.

I think he'll be come a very, very good player, but it's all about, for the foreseeable future anyway, whether he's happy being part of the squad, rather than necessarily always part of the starting XI. He's been at the club since he was 8 years old and grown up with the likes of Kieran and Jack, the thought of having a squad full of local kids who have grown up together and who bleed Arsenal is something a bit special for me, and I'm sure for a lot of supporters. It would be pretty unique in this day and age and keeping hold of players like Henri is a big part of that.
 

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