EPL - Arsenal vs Man City - 4PM SS1 - Sun 8/4/12

[VancouverCanuck]

We are currently only 2 points ahead of the Sp**s, with a game in hand and a +2 GD. So every goal counts. Hope that Ramsey's miss will not come back to haunt us.

Obviously, first thing first, win our games and there is nothing to worry about.

BTW, does anyone has audio of the "Carlos Teves. He plays when he wants" song? I heard commentator mentioned it but didn't hear. Definitely one of the best trolls ever!

 

[Vela]

Great result for Arsenal, they should have scored more. The number of chances we had it could have been 3-0. Everyone impressed me, AW's idea to play Yossi paid off good thinking from him. Only negative was Kos getting his tenth yellow card of the season.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Vermaelen is such a boss - celebrating Arteta's goal before he even takes the shot :shock:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s</a>

 

[mistaT]

Vermaelen is such a boss - celebrating Arteta's goal before he even takes the shot :shock:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s</a>" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Legendary - almost like the Rosicky doppelganger :wink:

 

[Floating]

Vermaelen is such a boss - celebrating Arteta's goal before he even takes the shot :shock:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s</a>

Seemed more like he was pointing/calling out instructions to the other players. Either way, I like it!

 

[kofigunner]

In Ramseys defence Kofi, the run onto the ball and getting himself into a good position to score was class. The finish was a shocker though. Had it still been 0-0 perhaps I wouldn't be quite so magnanimous today

the run onto the ball was class? then you should praise Rozza's pass as world class, that ball was so good it look like homing to ramsey's run

Have to agree with Rain Dance here. Watch it again here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKEN_iU1L5Y. One touch pass from Santos, one touch pass from Rozza, one touch pass from Ramsey and Oxo gets a tap in. Yes he did fool all of us including the defender by not passing quickly but after doing all the hard work, that finish was atrocious, especially with RVP now in line for a tap in. Oxo's reaction tells it all. That one touch pass should've been his a long time ago. Having said that, Ramsey definitely needs his mojo back. His confidence seems to be rather low especially now that Rozza's performances definitely have him on the outside looking in.

 

[awooga83]

The Ramsey miss was awful but to me it also confirms he isn't at the right level. In terms of decision making that kind of thing is what separates average from top level, no excuse in my book. I don't really rate Raised or certainly not as a first team regular for us. It is in the positions we need to add real quality if we want to be a force in future.

 

[Glovegun]

The Ramsey miss was awful but to me it also confirms he isn't at the right level. In terms of decision making that kind of thing is what separates average from top level, no excuse in my book. I don't really rate Raised or certainly not as a first team regular for us. It is in the positions we need to add real quality if we want to be a force in future.

That miss means he isn't at the right level? I've seen Robin make plenty of terrible misses before, does that mean he isn't good enough?

I don't get the Ramsey hate. Admittedly I don't think he is good enough right now to be playing week in week out, especially not out wide, but that doesn't mean that he won't in the future. He's had some good moments this season and is still far ahead of most other midfielders of his age around. Jack is just the level above, we all know that, but compare Ramsey to others in his age group - Rodwell, Cleverly, Henderson. I'd rather have him than any of them.

 

[fabo]

Looks a similar level talent to Henderson etc in my view. Don't see anything that would put him above those types of player anyway.

 

[AnthonyG]

I've always maintained it's about next season for Ramsey.

 

[DJ_Markstar]

Vermaelen is such a boss - celebrating Arteta's goal before he even takes the shot :shock:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyXN-7rmQU#t=6m30s</a>" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seemed more like he was pointing/calling out instructions to the other players. Either way, I like it!

Shhhhhhh, don't spoil it.

 

[goonerwarsh]

Ramsey to me is just a young player finding his feet.

He doesn't really offer much right now other than work rate. He always works hard and I like that in a player. However, I don't think he's good enough to be starting regularly for us at the moment and should never be put on to play in the wing position. Why does Wenger do that? It's infuriating.

I don't think it's coincidence that when he got injured this season and Rosicky came in that we've looked a much better and fluid team.

 

[Glovegun]

Looks a similar level talent to Henderson etc in my view. Don't see anything that would put him above those types of player anyway.

The main point is that none of the other three, with the possible exception of Henderson, have had to play as many games as Ramsey, and have had to deal with the expectations that he's had to. It's not his fault that he's played too many games this season, nor that he's replacing Fabregas. That shouldn't detract from his ability. Don't compare him to Jack and Cesc, because those two were/ are absolutely incredible at the same age.

My main criticism of him is that he tries to do too much. A bit 'Stevie Me'. Stupid flicks and unecessary hollywood passes. Ramsey never hides and never shys from taking the ball on, but he needs to tone it down and stop showing off. As his finishing improves he'll become a far more effective player, ghosting into the box Lampard-style.

 

[eye4goal]

I feel Ramsey's technique is more comparable to Song than it is to Wilshere, Arteta and Rosicky. He needs to improve defensively and make himself an option in our two-man CM

 

[outlaw_member]

Agreed on Ramsey's technical level being closer to Song, which is by far my biggest issue with him. For an Arsenal midfielder, it really needs to be far better than that. Song has issues with his technical game, so Ramsey needs to make drastic improvements. When we are playing against the best of sides, it's players like him whose technique isn't the greatest, who almost always get shown up. Furthermore, his positioning is awful simply because he runs too much, and often ends up in the wrong areas when defending. He needs to become more efficient in his running, otherwise his all action style will only hurt our midfield shape and his own contribution. It's great that he can cover a lot of ground, but he needs to keep tabs on how far he is foraying outside of his zone.

By the way, I thought it was absolutely hilarious that we targeted Clichy in the air.

 

[perspolis]

Ramsey's miss was rueful... painful to watch at this level. But I've seen RVP miss worse chances... you can't slaughter a player over one missed chance...

overall Ramsey makes a positive contribution to the team and that's what matters... and don't forget when Wilshere's back Ramsey will probably fill in a sub role anyway...

 

[outlaw_member]

A cut-back is too effective to be easy. No matter how much it happens, it's not easy. It's only easy if the ball in is poor, or if there is no one in the box/poor movement in the box. Surely the Invincibles would've been easy to defend against because of the sheer number of cutbacks they sent in, by your logic?

Variation in attacking is important, but that's mainly variation in where you attack, not how you attack. Barcelona, for example, don't cross the ball all that often, so you don't have to cross, for example, to be effective. Variation in where you attack is important though - using the middle, left and right of your team to attack is important. For a lack of variation in how you attack, look no further than Valencia or Robben. Both are embarrassingly predictable in how they attack with the ball at their feet, yet they are as effective as ever.

Btw, there is nothing wrong with crossing, but it's a percentage ball as much as anything. I for one, am fine with crossing the ball every now and then, but I'm a bit against tossing the ball in ala Walcott on a fairly endless basis.

This is another change that I was advocating and have been extremely glad to witness. The change of emphasis from central to wide play has been key to our post-Fabregas performances. Having said that, we still need to improve our wide players, because we are currently closer to Man Utd's style, than we are to the Invincible's. We are currently emulating United's percentage style of crossing and overload, simply because we aren't yet good enough in wide areas to play deliberately like the Invincible's did. It's all very -hit and hope and eventually one will pay off-, and not meticulous or co-ordinated enough. Walcott is improving each season, but a superior player than him with similar strengths would make a huge difference, likewise with Gervinho.

 

[USArsenal]

put this in the Balotelli Watch thread, but deserves to be here too

<a class="postlink" href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1047291/man-city%27s-mario-balotelli-facing-nine-match-ban-if-charged-by-fa?cc=5901" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story ... fa?cc=5901</a>

Stuper-Mario facing a possible 9 match ban.. LOLLLLLLLLLLZ

 

[ebouenolike]

Regarding Ramsey, I still have faith as he's only in his first FULL season being a key player for us. He's also continuously demanding the ball and getting into fantastic positions - rewatch the build up to his miss and you'll see him sprinting into a fantastic position. It's a shame he shanks it but, like he has said himself, he's struggling in front of goal.

Give the kid some time. He's working incredibly hard and, importantly, not shying away from getting in good positions. Just look at Chamakh for someone who has bottled it and doesn't even get in good positions, Ramsey should get some credit for not allowing his poor form in front of goal stop him trying.

 

[goonerwarsh]

I agree with Ramsey, god loves a tryer and the boy does try. I just think we're asking to much of him at the moment. Some players blossom early but I don't think he is one of those players. He needs to be developed a little more slowly than guys like Wilshere and Chamberlain who I think are not only ready to start but be major players in the system.