we play 5 a side football badly

[wibble the lobster]

anyone who plays 5 a side knows that

1. you protect against the counterattack and defend deep yourself so that the other team is not regularly attacking into space whilst you are regularly attacking into a massed protective defence. Most goals are scored from the area in front of the goal so make sure you are not shortstaffed in the POMOs (to use an old-fashioned term)

2. if you are attacking a team who have an organised mass defence you have to move the ball quickly and utilise any opportunity to counter attack with pace (or have a plan B - get wide with crosses like Utd).

You would think that after a few years of tiki taki toki whatever, we would have figured these basic principles out. If anyone knows why against Chelsea, Norwich, Schalke and Utd recently we have played into their hands by passing the ball around slowly whilst gifting them room to counterattaack at pace, please let Arsene know. I know barcelona play a similar system against teams that defend deep each week but the big difference is pace/tempo of passing etc. Oh and defenders who dont gift goals....and aaron Ramsey. And Santos. And a keeper etc

[Luis Anaconda]

new to the team and the league are not attacking with the verve and confidence of Barcelona

[Peter]

I made this point in the summer as a plea for patience.

You booed me.

It was very unkind of you.

[plastic james]

wenger havent found the right balance in his front 3 so far, which is why we havent clicked up front yet, thats what he needs to correct.

[wibble the lobster]

seems to have sticky first half in the premier league. one of the reason wenger has presumably always avoided this in the past.

Of course if you keep selling players and dont play your new players in pre-season games so they get a sense of familiarity and are widely perceived to still need more players in January.....

And this problem about being slow in possession is not confined to this year - the number of games where we have shown the ability to counter quickly has been too few and far between since the loss of the vieira-pires-henry combo.

[David Pleat AHADF (Royal Welsher and monkey lover)]

[Luis Anaconda]

I don't think I ever said that it would take the team time to gel more that is was pointless wanting new players and then expecting to set off the season at 100 mph (this may not have been in relation to your point but f**k it)

[Luis Anaconda]

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

There has been a cumulative loss of form and confidence. No need to re-invent the wheel, just get players playing as they can.

Wenger needs to address it, he is paid big bucks to do so.

[Luis Anaconda]

It is a fairly silly point anyway as while it will be useful players don't gel in those games it takes time.

[Peter]

http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/hehe.gif

The current problem is not about understanding is it. We know that.

[wibble the lobster]

the only teams dumb enough to give us space to play in betwwen midfield and defence we have walloped.

when they clamp down fast on arteta and cazorla we are stuffed

[Peter]

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Hasn't played at all yet.

I wish Brighton was here so I could take this up with him.

[Peter]

Some sort of ....shudder.... Plan B?

[Luis Anaconda]

It is certainly not the only problem but is certainly an important issue.


Anyway, I am due to renew at the end of the season but am holding out for at least two pints a season from Chris+. He isn't budging though.

Liverpoolwimb here I come

[Billy Goat Sverige]

[Luis Anaconda]

two to three weeks. Brighton that is

[Peter]

But it wasnt destroying every performance efore the international break.

It cant have suddenly got so much worse. Arsene feels we have lost belief.

You can see why http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/hehe.gif

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

[Luis Anaconda]

[Peter]

[plastic james]

which is still very good. united had 4 good chances from individual mistakes, the shape of our team is still solid.

wenger has tried podolski, giroud, gervinho upfront and is now willing to try thero up there.

also the two wingers have changed alot, ramsey protects the defence but lacks any offensive threat, podolski is a good finisher but is to tired to run into the box, gervinho prefers the left walcott offers pace but is technically limited out wide, which is why he misses RVP.

we're trying to find combinations that work, we havent so far. its no coincidence, we have the 9th or 10th best attack...but the best defence in the prem in terms of stats.

[David Pleat AHADF (Royal Welsher and monkey lover)]

flat back 4 he plays an the central midfield is enormous and it happens every game now. 2-1 up at Chelsea with them out of ideas and allowing them to shoot long range, 2-0 up at Swansea, 4-0 up against the Arsenal, cruising against Fulham.....and all the collapse came because that gap.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

[Peter]

We would have beaten norwich with him in the side.

I honestly believe that.....

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_8ms5lpIALA/Td-ziDEP85I/AAAAAAAAE-A/fVjq3S86Pdw/s1600/riverwalk-alcoholic.jpg

[Peter]

[Luis Anaconda]

more to do with the fact that I had to get all the glitter out of my beard admittedly

[wibble the lobster]

went to nigeria on the goodwill mission instead.

This really wasnt main thurst of my argument but you are doing well at picking holes in it. A better job than our midfield would do anyway. In fact, Ramsey would have just dribbled around the logic and then passed back under pressure to Santos who in turn would be closed down because he had wasted time trying to swap shirts with no options upfield. Under pressure he would have passed the ball to Don Vito. His poor clearance upfield to 5'4" Cazorla would have been won in the air easily by my contention that this has been going for years (hleb holding on to the ball for ages?), quickly knocked on through the tiring legs of an out-debated Arteta. Vermaelen then stumbles and Koscielny has to resort to foul and abusive langauge earning another red card and giving away a penalty which is quickly despatched. Plan B is invited on the pitch at half time to entertain the crowd but left before the second half.

i best get back to my work then

[wibble the lobster]

some pace and trickery out wide would be nice....

[Luis Anaconda]

PS Podolski did play in Cologne

[sodd]

[Luis Anaconda]

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

.... creating a plan for the football season in any way based around or reliant on Diaby was plain f**king stupid / naive in the extreme.

[David Pleat AHADF (Royal Welsher and monkey lover)]

[sodd]

Maybe 5 years down the line but certainly not with us.

[sodd]

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Cue Monty and his comment about van Persie prior to last season.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Think the likes of Overmars and Pires, respectively the very essence of "pace and trickery out wide" but neither were lumping crosses into 6ft+ chaps.

At the moment it is stop Cazorla and you're 90% of the job done.

[David Pleat AHADF (Royal Welsher and monkey lover)]

The fact they could ghost past players and cut in and shoot or go to the byline knowing there's a predator in the box says it all. Have you seen this lot shooting, at times its pathetic.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Sorry.

http://www.awimb.com/images/smiley_icons/frown.gif

[David Pleat AHADF (Royal Welsher and monkey lover)]

[Luis Anaconda]

[Ashberto]

[Snin]