FA Cup: West Ham vs Arsenal | 3/1/10, 16:15 | ITV 1

[True Gooner]

As long as we develop a powerful spine running right through the team we can bed in the more light weight players around them.

Diaby (and a new GK) could be the missing link - which is why I genuinely want him to succeed even though he's one of the most frustrating players to watch at times.

 

[Raider]

But then again, you can't change nature either.

eh?....

 

[Illusion]

But then again, you can't change nature either.

eh?....

It's pretty hard to bulk up when you're a youngster

 

[bojed]

Second time Wenger has made the curious choice of suggesting Ramsey can play as a full back. Presumably that means he's Sagna's back up whilst Eboue is away.

Well, it's no surprise because I think Ramsey has played as a fullback not less than 5 times for Cardiff.

Ramsey sprays the ball beautifully, it's like Cytherea's golden shower.

 

[AshburtonGhost]

Not if you eat a kg of rice a day, Illusion!

 

[Raider]

It's pretty hard to bulk up when you're a youngster

lol, not really though, its v easy to bulk up. Just a lot of dedication. But yeah, when your a young'n, size doesn't matter, all you want to do is play football and enjoy it.

 

[Lukazan]

Great result but I'm not sure about the performance, although I have to be honest and say I expected it when I saw the line-up.

Fabianski did well and was unlucky not to have made a brilliant save from West Ham's goal. The backline did well but were left terribly exposed at times.

The midfield was very poor today I felt, aside from Ramsey. Song, who has been absolutely sensational for me so far this season, wasn't at it today and Ramsey is the only one who can hold his head high. Merida was bad. Going back to Ramsey.. shaping up to be quite some player. Very raw in some aspects of his play, but always seems to do something when he's on the pitch. Even in cameos he seems to score or assist, and today I felt he had a great game and was one of our best players easily. His off the ball movement is great too.

Upfront? Well... where to start. Wilshere was ****ing terrible, and that should be enough for anyone to see why he hasn't been given much of a chance outside of the Carling Cup in the first team. He clearly isn't ready, and, to be brutally honest, probably isn't half the player people have talked him up to be. Same calibre as Messi indeed... Eduardo was shocking. Yes he scored, and some will argue that it's all you can ask of a striker but no, not for me. On the ball in space he dwells and makes bad decisions and when put under pressure he shows zero strength. Needs to shape up and soon. Vela was a mixed bag. He's still far too one footed and is very predictable but I can see something there.

Game changed when Nasri and Diaby came on (the latter I'm warming to a lot).

This is a game we'd have lost most times out of ten in the last 3-4 years I reckon, so credit to the boys. Stoke will be a tough game, but hopefully we'll play a stronger line-up.

Btw, our corners and set-pieces need to be addressed. Eduardo has no business being anywhere near them, and the number of times we fail to beat the first man is becoming infuriating. A corner is supposed to be an opportunity, but not with this team. We waste them constantly.

 

[sagreig]

Lukazan, I agree with everything apart from the Eduardo comments. Call it lazy analysis, but if our striker scores and is clearly working hard, then I can't really be too critical. Eduardo has 3 goals in 4 games. He has been criticised heavily in the last few matches (I am one of those that have been moaning about how badly he's playing) but 3 goals in 4 games...if he keeps this ratio up, with the confidence rising, I think other aspects of his game will fall into place. I feel he is trying too hard to impress right now. If he doesn't think too much and plays on instinct, he will be excellent.

 

[banduan]

Song was perhaps awful for the 1st half, but that caution seemed to improve his play. Suddenly he was concentrating in keeping play simple and he got that much better.

 

[Wenger14]

I've thought the same, he seems to be trying a bit too hard. You can't blame him, he's still making his way back from a long lay off and players need time to settle down. I think the Eduardo criticism has been excessive, he'll get his confidence back with games and goals no matter how scrappy they are at the beginning.

 

[General]

Agree with TG on this whole physicality thing. We’ve mixed it up in the past with fairly diminutive players like Wiltord, Freddie, Overmars and to a lesser extent Reyes and tasted success. It is fairly obvious that the team being ridiculously lopsided towards the small side was one of the major reasons we failed pathetically in seeing off physical aggression over the past trophyless years. Players like Vela, Wilshere, Denilson and Merida of course have a future here as long as Wenger compensates for their diminutiveness elsewhere. I realise this is something he hasn’t done very well in recent times and playing Denilson-Cesc the way he did last season was nothing but pure ****. I’m convinced that amongst his reasons for keeping faith in players like Diaby, Song and Bendtner, notwithstanding their mediocrity in the past, is the clear indication that he values the importance of physical presence when trying to repel the savage animals that inhabit the PL. In fact it was the fundamental reason Ade and Diaby in particular were recruited in 2006.

 

[sagreig]

After the success with a side known for being tall and physically intimidating, it makes you wonder why Wenger ever changed his approach. His European Cup obsession probably got the better of him. Nice to see him correcting that now though.

Diaby's transformation into a half-decent player is really exciting. He was the final piece of the jigsaw. Alongside Song, we now have 2 physically-strong, intimidating CMs, and, of course, Cesc who is one of the world's best CMs. Just need Bendtner back, and we might not be lightweight upfront like we were today.

 

[tam1886]

Just remembered something else about Vela which annoyed me.

He had a little kick out at Diamanti(?) in the second half after a challenge on him. I was glad he gave a bit back as I thought we were getting bullied down the left too often and that blonde prick of theirs was kicking us anytime he got close as well. But when Diamanti mouthed off to him Vela's balls shrunk up and he shat himself. He looked like a scared little schoolboy waiting on his big brother to fight his battles for him. I'm not saying I wanted him to land one of Diamanti's chin, but at least stick up for yourself instead of going into your shell when the big bad man starts to say sweary words. Especially when you've just kicked the ****!

 

[kamikaze80]

Despite our endless hoarding of delictae tippy-tappy players, I reckon that, through a kind of natural selection, the Arsenal team in the not too distant future will look roughly as big and powerful as the 2002-2004 era.

If you look at the Wenger youth experiments that have worked (Song) or are working (Ramsey, arguably Diaby), and then look at the ones that are stalling (Vela, Wilshere, Merida, Denilson imo) the faultline is physicality. They're always going to be technically good because Wenger won't let anyone near the club who isn't, but technique is only given expression if you can ward off challenges, collisions and the general physical "noise" of the Premiership.

I know there are exceptions (Cesc, Arshavin at the older end of the scale) but they are geniuses who know how to circumvent the argy-bargy altogether (e.g. make sure your first touch takes you away from congestion).

This is why I doubt Merida will make it here, and I also think Eduardo is in trouble. Stunning header today, don't get me wrong, but he is possibly the weakest Arsenal player I have seen since Juan, the mini-Brazilian full back.

Imagine an Arsenal team circa 2012 that features Song, Ramsey, Diaby, RvP and Chamakh in its front 6 - that's roughly as powerful and athletic as the Pires-Henry-Vieira-Gilberto days. It'll happen without us noticing, because it won't be a conscious project. It's just that the weaker types will gradually be overtaken by these guys.

it's like we have the same brain.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

Just remembered something else about Vela which annoyed me.

He had a little kick out at Diamanti(?) in the second half after a challenge on him. I was glad he gave a bit back as I thought we were getting bullied down the left too often and that blonde prick of theirs was kicking us anytime he got close as well. But when Diamanti mouthed off to him Vela's balls shrunk up and he shat himself.

It was a push, after the **** had caught him with the elbow. I don't think anyone's afraid of Diamanti on a football field though, least of all Vela. It had more to do with Clattenburg standing five metres away yelling at them to break it up.

 

[Wokich]

Everyone's being WAY too hard on Eduardo. He's got 3 goals in 4 games! Yeah, they've been ugly. Yeah, he's disappeared for a good chunk of those games, but that's the point. It's his job to disappear, make the defense forget about him and pop up just in time to put the ball in the net. h34r

A-Mers seem to complain about:

1. not having the "fox-in-the-box".
2. no aerial presence
3. no pure striker

Today, Eduardo hit a clutch header over Upson to earn the victory; Arsenal advance. Sometimes we can't see our nose because our face is in the way.

I don't care if he slipped on a banana, stepped on a shoelace and the keeper knocked a clearance off his face into the net. A game winning goal is a game winning goal.

Name____________Games Played ___ Goals
Cesc____________21+1 ____________ 12
RVP____________15 ______________ 8
Arshavin_________20+3 ____________ 8
Eduardo_________12+8 ____________ 6
Diaby___________19+3 ____________ 6

Eduardo da Silva! Arsenal's #9! 8)) :clap :bounce :clap

 

[sagreig]

Lets be honest, there is absolutely no point having aerial presence with Sagna making 80% of our crosses, and every single one of our corners being ****ted away by the first man. If anyone's crying out for a strong CF, they're barking up the wrong tree if Sagna's going to be in the same team.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

Name____________Games Players ___ Goals
Cesc____________21+1 ____________ 12
RVP____________15 ______________ 8
Arshavin_________20+3 ____________ 8
Eduardo_________12+8 ____________ 6
Diaby___________19+3 ____________ 6

This is what I'm talking about. And that doesn't include the two own goals he stressed Wolves to score, or the three assists he's had this season. He's out of shape, out of form and has just managed to start four games in a row for the first time in two years, and yet he's getting on the scoresheet. Give him time to find his feet. It's obvious that he's improving by each game. Almost as bloody obvious as his class. He'll be past 10 goals before january is over.

 

[outlaw_member]

I guess that rules out a future career as a football manager for you too, then. :wink:

Believe it or not, I actually considered becoming a football manager when I was about 17. I took an online FA course full with a printable certificate and them coached an u16 side of a youth group for one day and that was it. I even wrote up my own management book full with formations, training methods, the whole works.

 

[celestis]

I guess that rules out a future career as a football manager for you too, then. :wink:

Believe it or not, I actually considered becoming a football manager when I was about 17. I took an online FA course full with a printable certificate and them coached an u16 side of a youth group for one day and that was it. I even wrote up my own management book full with formations, training methods, the whole works.

expect a pm from Anzac shortly, :wink: