Pre-season Friendly: Hannover 96 v Arsenal FC - 29/07/09

[Klaus Daimler]

Why are people so worked up about our defending when we have our second team out there, who are all tiring after a long week intensive training?

We defended excellently in the first half, Gallas and Vermaelen combined really well together.

That first half was nothing but extremely positive.

I missed the game. Just saw the goal though and it was a real peach. Can you give me a quick summary of how things looked, ricky?

 

[James]

I'm really starting to give up. I'm f****g sick of seeing players play anywhere. I'm sick of seeing players deployed out of position. I'm sick of seeing us struggle to create chances against such second rate teams too. Sort it the f**k out, why am I watching a boring pre-season?

You tell me.

I hear that Eboue said his goodbyes after the game?

 

[ricky1985]

We defended excellently in the first half, Gallas and Vermaelen combined really well together.

That first half was nothing but extremely positive.

Glad someone else is feeling a bit positive. I really liked what I saw in the first half, both in defense and attack. I was a bit shocked when I came on here and all I saw was negativity.

Vermaelen-Gallas look like they have a good understanding. And the new formation seemed to work really well in the first half. I think it will allow us to see the best of Fabregas who could control things from deeper when he wanted to, or play further forward when he wanted too. Bendtner is becoming an increasingly important player for us and I thought we really missed him when he went off. Arshavin was a bit of a mess, but that just makes me look forward to how great the front 3 will be when he hits form.

Can't wait for the Emirates Cup!

Neither can I, hopefully Arshavin's fitness and desire have both increased by then.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this 4-3-3 develops. We have never deployed it, not once in Wenger's reign. It's always been a haphazard 4-5-1. This time it's different. It looks like we've actually worked on it, and I love the interchange and fluidity of the front 5 (2 CM, 3 FW).
When you consider that front 5 will hopefully consist of Fabregas, Rosicky, Arshavin, Van Persie, Bendtner/Eduardo, how can any Arsenal fan not find that an exciting prospect? I'm salivating at the thought.
With Gallas and Vermaelen looking like centrebacks that are immediately on the same wavelength (that usually happens with very good players), and our already proven fullbacks, the only potential banana skin I can see is the defensive midfielder, or lack of (at least a top class one).

So Mr. Wenger, 1 x Daniele De Rossi please, and we are ready to rule!

I missed the game. Just saw the goal though and it was a real peach. Can you give me a quick summary of how things looked, ricky?

No problem. We lined up in a proper 4-3-3. Song playing the holding role, with Denilson and Fabregas having more freedom to roam alongside him.
Upfront we started with Van Persie through the middle, supported by Bendtner and Arshavin either side. However, they spent the entire first half switching positions, finding the area of the final third that best suited their game. It was joy to behold, as Hannover didn't have the first clue how to stop them. Bendtner, in particular, was fantastic at finding space and moving intelligently into it. On this form he's a shoe-in to start at Goodison Park.
We played such fluid, technical football in the first half. The best I've seen from us since about halfway through the 2007/08 season. Quick one-touch football, played between players moving all over the place, never in a fixed position.
Fabregas was fantastic, passing and moving intelligently all over the pitch, in the way that only he can. This formation really suits him down to the ground.

Another real positive was the Vermaelen-Gallas partnership at the heart of the defence. They seemed to be on the same wavelength, when one dropped off the other moved forward to close down, they seemed to move in tandem. And it was no coincidence that even with Eboue and Traore at fullback, making the ocassional mistake, we still never looked like conceding. Maybe it was because of this partnership and Vermaelen's prescence in the defence that we looked surprisingly comfortable at set-pieces also. There must have been 6 corners in the first half, and each one was headed away with little fuss. Very un-Arsenal like.

When you consider who we have out, and the general fitness levels of the team, this was very promising.

 

[qs]

The 4-3-3 worked nice in the first half but considering we don't really have anyone else who can play midfield in it and do a good job bar Nasri its not really a feasible formation going forward unless we get in another 2 players who can fit into that midfield.

 

[ricky1985]

I'd say we have Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Rosicky, Ramsey, and Diaby, who can all play as one of the two central midfielders.
Song, and at a push Denilson are the only two who could play the holding role though, so it looks like if we are going to persist with the new formation, we'll have to invest there.

 

[tam1886]

The new formation is encouraging. I expected that RVP would be shunted wide but it seems he'll play point. He'll need to get used to the rough sutff though. I'm never convinced that he has what it takes physically.

If he's being stuck up top alone, he's far more likely to get kicked up and down the park than he would were he playing with the freedom to roam around and drop deep. Whether he has the mentality to ride that kind of treatment is another issue. He has no doubt improved and matured, but I always get the feeling the petulant and frustrated Van Persie is never far from breaking to the surface and letting him down. He'll need to be carefully of the mental challenge as well as the physical one if he is going to play there.

First half was interesting for me, mainly because it's the first time I've seen us properly. The last game was a ****e stream and I never bothered once it went. Fabregas goal was class, really great play from all three involved. I can see Bendtner having a massive role for us this season because of the way he plays. His goalscoring may not be on a par with Adebayor just yet, but his play is so much more suited to our overall game in general.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

I missed the game. Just saw the goal though and it was a real peach. Can you give me a quick summary of how things looked, ricky?

No problem. We lined up in a proper 4-3-3. Song playing the holding role, with Denilson and Fabregas having more freedom to roam alongside him.
Upfront we started with Van Persie through the middle, supported by Bendtner and Arshavin either side. However, they spent the entire first half switching positions, finding the area of the final third that best suited their game. It was joy to behold, as Hannover didn't have the first clue how to stop them. Bendtner, in particular, was fantastic at finding space and moving intelligently into it. On this form he's a shoe-in to start at Goodison Park.
We played such fluid, technical football in the first half. The best I've seen from us since about halfway through the 2007/08 season. Quick one-touch football, played between players moving all over the place, never in a fixed position.
Fabregas was fantastic, passing and moving intelligently all over the pitch, in the way that only he can. This formation really suits him down to the ground.

Another real positive was the Vermaelen-Gallas partnership at the heart of the defence. They seemed to be on the same wavelength, when one dropped off the other moved forward to close down, they seemed to move in tandem. And it was no coincidence that even with Eboue and Traore at fullback, making the ocassional mistake, we still never looked like conceding. Maybe it was because of this partnership and Vermaelen's prescence in the defence that we looked surprisingly comfortable at set-pieces also. There must have been 6 corners in the first half, and each one was headed away with little fuss. Very un-Arsenal like.

When you consider who we have out, and the general fitness levels of the team, this was very promising.

Cheers! Great writeup.

 

[otfgoon]

Good to see not everyone has chosen to forget a very promising first half.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

Was the second half really that bad?

 

[qs]

I'd say we have Fabregas, Denilson, Nasri, Rosicky, Ramsey, and Diaby, who can all play as one of the two central midfielders.
Song, and at a push Denilson are the only two who could play the holding role though, so it looks like if we are going to persist with the new formation, we'll have to invest there.

Well for starters it didn't look to me like Song was playing any deeper or more conservatively than Denilson, I though they both played as standard centre mids with Cesc operating in a freer more attacking role, though he still remained essentially a centre mid unlike the end of last season where he was shoved into a role more suited Arshavin or Nasri.

Secondly I don't think Ramsey is really ready to be deployed in that 3 man midfield in anything more than a subs role this season in the EPL. Diaby just isn't good enough. Rosicky maybe but I dislike stretching players roles over many positions and then acting like we've loads of cover for each position just because a player can fit many roles in the team.

You're right about the new mid needing to be less of an attacking mid though. I don't really mind if we get a regular CM or an out and out DM, either way can work IMO.

Nice to see such fluidity in our passing in the first half though, from that perspective the formation looked excellent.

 

[qs]

Good to see not everyone has chosen to forget a very promising first half.

The first half was enough to renew my faith briefly.

 

[banduan]

bloody nora

i just couldn't wake up to see this game. wus too bloody knackered.

 

[hujja]

Excellent first half. A real joy to watch.

Forgettable and regrettable second half. Just plain awful.

I still don't understand what purpose Denilson serves on the football pitch.

Is it too early to use the moniker "The Verminator"?

 

[GaelForce22]

Can't believe I've missed another ****ing pre-season game (thought it was tomorrow). Aah well Arsenal Mania, see you after we win at Goodison.

 

[Anzac]

So what went wrong in the 2nd half - subs?
Or is it that the players are still settling into this new style?

 

[USgoonergirl]

subs pretty much, without Cesc and Nik the midfield didnt link up as well with the attack. Also the defense got pretty shaky with Djourou partnering Vermaelen presumably because they havent gotten much time together.

 

[nazo]

Eboue said his goodbyes after the match. He gave away his shirt and boots at the end

 

[raidersoftheark]

Was the second half really that bad?

We looked really tired out there, and Hannover pulled a second wind out of their arse.

 

[raidersoftheark]

Yeah, and Djourou-Vermaelen didn't work at all. Not that I'm making judgments now, but it was pretty much a repeat of last year's defending, Klausy (yes, that's right Klausy). Simple over the top balls beating the entire defense, etc.

 

[raidersoftheark]

One thing about Vermaelen that I liked (and that I had not seen much of for Ajax) was his passing range. For a defender, it's very good. He hit a couple of Alonso-like cross-field 60 yarders that went exactly where they needed to go for whoever on the wing to cross into the box. Good stuff.