EPL – Arsenal vs Manchester United – 4:00pm - 22/01/12

[Glovegun]

It's tactical naiveity on Wenger's part. In all the years he's been here I can only really remember one game where he set out his stall according to the opposition - Barcelona away last year. This inflexibility tactically has always been one of his failings.

Everyone knows that United play with width. They stretch the play, they don't compress it. Everyone can see that we're playing with makeshift full-backs. The sensible option would've been to go with a flat 4-4-2. Song and Ramsey have easily got the legs to compete with Giggs and Carrick (might've been different if they'd have had Anderson or Fletcher). Play Rosicky and Chamberlain out wide protecting the full-back with Walcott pushed right up alongside Robin.

 

[DiamondGooner]

Apparantly DJ was carrying an injury and for his sake I bloody hope so because Yennaris was much better.

Walcott .... I've stuck up for this guy so many times but that display was pityful, his lack of a footballing brain is just starting to become all to obvious, he doesn't cut in anymore or anything, I think it might be time for him to go because let's face it we'll never get to see if he was any good or not down the middle as Wenger won't play him there.

We may as well get a proper winger, can't wait to see Gervihno, RVP, Ox should be a marked improvement as all are capable in their given positions.

Enough with the square pegs in round holes routine, it's costing us games.

Don't even get me started on Wenger, I said I'd give him till end of Jan before I say if I support hime or not and he's certainly gone out with a bang.

 

[Rain Dance]

For those people blaming the second goal on Vermaelen, I think that your missing the fact that Valencia moved in to right back after Park came in for Rafael. Take a look at the goal again and you'll see that Vermaelen was marking their right winger at the time (Park) while Arshavin was responsible for tracking back their full back (Valencia). Fergie deliberately made that switch knowing Arshavin's defensive capabalities and it worked. If anything either Song or Rosicky should've left the midfield and helped out Arshavin because Utd had 3 or 4 players in the box.

We have six players in the box, Song was caught by the 1-2 (Valencia to Park). Rosicky was covering Carrick just outside the box

 

[1macca1]

It's tactical naiveity on Wenger's part. In all the years he's been here I can only really remember one game where he set out his stall according to the opposition - Barcelona away last year. This inflexibility tactically has always been one of his failings.

There was definitely important tactical changes vs Chelsea (H) last season.

 

[1macca1]

Rosicky match compilation vs Man Utd

I thought he was one of the few positives of the game, If Arteta is out or ever in need of a rest I'd like to see him filling in, had a few decent games at the start of the season too.

 

[fabo]

That facilitator role in midfield suits Rosicky best at this stage of his career, tidy in possession, keeps things ticking along nicely, can occasionally be feisty in the tackle too.

Didn't like him in the AM role as he's simply too blunt in the final third, pity as he has vision and decent shooting technique......possibly didn't work hard enough on that side of his game when he was younger.

 

[Vela]

Do you think it would be better to have "1-2" in midfield rather than "2-1" then?

Which I mean.

Current midfield trio

----Song--Arteta
------Ramsey

Could be this.

------Song-
-Arteta--Ramsey

 

[outlaw_member]

Probably won't be a popular opinion but Vermaelen was god damn awful yesterday.

Apart from being partially at fault for Valencia's opener and again for Welbeck's goal, he does nothing in attack.

I know he is not naturally a left back but he could at least try once in a while to get forward and supplement the attack. Djorou, for all his deficiencies in defence has at least directly contributed to a minimum of two goals because of his play at RB, (assist for Theo at Swansea and pre-assist for Santos at Chelsea). Even if Vermaelen doesn't want to cross from the left if he is in space it at least causes the opposition to have to think about marking him and thus creating space elsewehre.

Even though Arsavin's woeful cameo has been analysed in full I will quickly give my two cents. For their second goal it shows that we definitely do not practice defending intensely during training or he just doesn't give a ****.
After he was pathetically beaten by an admittedly good winger, why in god's name is he trying to tackle him on his right side? Surely it is basic defending to try and tackle him on the left as:
a) he might have been able to get a deflection or stop the cross/pass going into the middle of the area
b) any ball that would have come back to valencia from the middle would have made him offside if arshavin was on his left not right

especially for b) why doesn't the captain of a top 20 international country realise this? its basic basic stuff.

why do we refuse to neglect practising these type of drills in training?

It shouldn't be unpopular. Vermaelen is rubbish at LB. We gain nothing by playing him in place of someone like Miquel. My biggest worry is that his stint at LB will kill his confidence. I've never seen him look so unassured before.

How the hell can you blame Vermaelen for playing **** in a position he hates and readily acknowledge's that he's **** at? Blame the deluded **** who nonchalantly made this decision, once he had succeeded in ruining our only fit LB in a game that meant fck all.

Not only could this mess with Tv's confidence, he has already been injured probably as a result of the extra running a fullback does compared to a CB.

Of course, it's not Vermaelen's fault. No-one said that it was.

 

[outlaw_member]

Outie you really think Ramsey and Arteta press with vigour ? fair enough I thought the opposite but I shall keep a look out .

Well, I admit that I've been dumbed down by the relatively weaker efforts of players like Denilson, Diaby, Song and even Cesc.

 

[celestis]

Still though , its the on thing I have always wondered about AW's side the lack of pressing . We did press pretty well a couple of years ago for a few months but that was it .

 

[mistaT]

We looked amazing last year when we pressed hard - unfortunately that lasted but a few games.

 

[Spork]

What games do you have in mind from last season mistaT? I remember a very short period where we did, but don't remember whi h exact games except for perhaps the Barca one?

My memory is horrible these days.

 

[mavelous]

Ramsey, Arteta and Wilshere all press with vigour. Song, Diaby and Denilson don't.

vigour =/=> composure, although you'd like a decent balance throughout.

 

[1macca1]

Spork's been hitting the green stuff a lil too hard Chelsea is the first that pops to mind, City (H), Birmingham (A), Wigan (H), West Ham (A). We were playing well and pressing throughout that whole month.