View Full Version : Arsene virtually in tears in the interview when asked if he was sad that he wouldn't
win a European trophy with Arsenal :cry: :cry: :cry:
For what it's worth, I think the best team over two legs lost.
It was a brief, occasionally curt press conference, but none the less devastating for that. As Arsene Wenger reflected on his last, lost chance at salvaging a trophy from the final days of his Arsenal reign, there was a moistness and a redness to his eyes: the look of a man who had been crying, or was about to do so, and was doing his damnedest not to do it now, in front of hundreds of strangers with laptops.
“I am, like the team, very sad and very disappointed,” he said after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid that eliminated them from the Europa League at the semi-final stage. “Even very frustrated, as well, because when you go out of a competition and you had the performances over 180 minutes that we had, it is very difficult to take.
“For the club, there is now some time to think about what to do for next season,” he said. “I think there are some good ingredients in our team, and they will bounce back. These players have quality, and with the right additions in the summer, the team will compete next year.” And it the moment at which he dared to glimpse into the future – a future in which after 22 years, he and Arsenal are separate entities – that Wenger became most emotional.
win a European trophy with Arsenal :cry: :cry: :cry:
For what it's worth, I think the best team over two legs lost.
Rich you are a dick.
We huffed and we puffed, a classic valiant exit etc. We were in no way embarrassed as many thought we might be but they were quite superior to us I thought.
Even with 10 men in the first leg they had the two best players on the pitch in Oblak and Godin, and in the second leg swap those two for Griezemann and Costa.
I do like the big unit Partey also. He would be on my shopping list this June.
"For what it is worth" R, I completely agree with you and would threaten physical violence on any person that argued otherwise.
We huffed and we puffed, a classic valiant exit etc. We were in no way embarrassed as many thought we might be but they were quite superior to us I thought.
Even with 10 men in the first leg they had the two best players on the pitch in Oblak and Godin, and in the second leg swap those two for Griezemann and Costa.
I do like the big unit Partey also. He would be on my shopping list this June.
Oblak is very much on my list. The problem will be persuading them. 'Would you like to swap playing under one of the best tactical coaches in the game, for a club that challenges for La Liga and is in the Champions League for a club managed by someone that has never managed a professional game in his life, is in the Europa League and has zero hope of getting into the top four clubs in England?'
Pokster
05-04-2018, 08:18 AM
"For what it is worth" R, I completely agree with you and would threaten physical violence on any person that argued otherwise.
We huffed and we puffed, a classic valiant exit etc. We were in no way embarrassed as many thought we might be but they were quite superior to us I thought.
Even with 10 men in the first leg they had the two best players on the pitch in Oblak and Godin, and in the second leg swap those two for Griezemann and Costa.
I do like the big unit Partey also. He would be on my shopping list this June.
So did the best team over 2 legs win or lose? I'm confused with the 2 of you deciding??
I didn't even see it and I'm ashamed to say I wasn't that bothered.
Pokster
05-04-2018, 08:19 AM
Oblak is very much on my list. The problem will be persuading them. 'Would you like to swap playing under one of the best tactical coaches in the game, for a club that challenges for La Liga and is in the Champions League for a club managed by someone that has never managed a professional game in his life, is in the Europa League and has zero hope of getting into the top four clubs in England?'
Have we appointed someone? Who is he
World's End Stella
05-04-2018, 08:19 AM
"For what it is worth" R, I completely agree with you and would threaten physical violence on any person that argued otherwise.
We huffed and we puffed, a classic valiant exit etc. We were in no way embarrassed as many thought we might be but they were quite superior to us I thought.
Even with 10 men in the first leg they had the two best players on the pitch in Oblak and Godin, and in the second leg swap those two for Griezemann and Costa.
I do like the big unit Partey also. He would be on my shopping list this June.
You want to read that again, SW? I'm struggling to understand your view on whether the better team did or didn't win.
FTR, the better team won. Just watch the defending for the two goals we conceded and compare the performance of their best players against Ozil, as an example.
Have we appointed someone? Who is he
Buvac or Arteta. Allegri only fancied it if we were in the Champions League (allegedly).
7sisters
05-04-2018, 08:21 AM
Oblak is very much on my list. The problem will be persuading them. 'Would you like to swap playing under one of the best tactical coaches in the game, for a club that challenges for La Liga and is in the Champions League for a club managed by someone that has never managed a professional game in his life, is in the Europa League and has zero hope of getting into the top four clubs in England?'
That's a bit in contrast with your original post there r. You seemed to be suggesting we were the better side over the two legs. ( we weren't btw. They invited us on to them and realised very quickly we were toothless and were very vulnerable to a counter )
That's a bit in contrast with your original post there r. You seemed to be suggesting we were the better side over the two legs. ( we weren't btw. They invited us on to them and realised very quickly we were toothless and were very vulnerable to a counter )
I think we were... They defend as a unit so remarkably well. Very well drilled indeed but Arsenal were more creative, for me.
If Monreal and Berrelin could cross a football/we had Giroud to get on the end of them then I think it would have been different.
You want to read that again, SW? I'm struggling to understand your view on whether the better team did or didn't win.
FTR, the better team won. Just watch the defending for the two goals we conceded and compare the performance of their best players against Ozil, as an example.
Right, I'm not having the fvcking Ozil thing, he played in the wing backs time and time again but it's not his fault they couldn't cross a T. Honestly, it was embarrassing
Right, I'm not having the fvcking Ozil thing, he played in the wing backs time and time again but it's not his fault they couldn't cross a T. Honestly, it was embarrassing
Wouldn't mind Shaw from United coming in at LB. He has a devillish cross on him.
Not sure why we kept trying to stick it in the mix for Lacazette, though. While he scored a header in the first leg he is about 5 foot 6.
Oblak is very much on my list. The problem will be persuading them. 'Would you like to swap playing under one of the best tactical coaches in the game, for a club that challenges for La Liga and is in the Champions League for a club managed by someone that has never managed a professional game in his life, is in the Europa League and has zero hope of getting into the top four clubs in England?'
You don't have a list, or if you do have a list it is redundant, because you are an idiot.
Billy Goat Sverige
05-04-2018, 08:26 AM
Right, I'm not having the fvcking Ozil thing, he played in the wing backs time and time again but it's not his fault they couldn't cross a T. Honestly, it was embarrassing
Özil was really poor. People need to stop making excuses for him. Sometimes he’s wonderful, other times he lets the game pass him by. Last night it felt like he was more willing to let Ramsey and Wilshere pick out the hard passes.
You want to read that again, SW? I'm struggling to understand your view on whether the better team did or didn't win.
FTR, the better team won. Just watch the defending for the two goals we conceded and compare the performance of their best players against Ozil, as an example.
Indeed, and thank you. I have changed my original rant.
You don't have a list, or if you do have a list it is redundant, because you are an idiot.
Oblak, Meyer, Dembele, Soyuncu, Papastathopoulos.
World's End Stella
05-04-2018, 08:31 AM
Özil was really poor. People need to stop making excuses for him. Sometimes he’s wonderful, other times he lets the game pass him by. Last night it felt like he was more willing to let Ramsey and Wilshere pick out the hard passes.
There seems to be a cult of 'thou shalt not ever criticize Ozil' on here. He's a wonderfully talented player and he isn't given enough credit for how hard he works, however in tight games against well organized teams he goes missing too often. Last night was one of those games.
Özil was really poor. People need to stop making excuses for him. Sometimes he’s wonderful, other times he lets the game pass him by. Last night it felt like he was more willing to let Ramsey and Wilshere pick out the hard passes.
He tracked back and tackled, had no movement in front of him, what was he supposed to do? The only ball available was to Monreal or Bellerin, which he did and they promptly over hit easy crosses
World's End Stella
05-04-2018, 08:31 AM
Oblak, Meyer, Dembele, Soyuncu, Papastathopoulos.
So SW was wrong, You do have a list.
A list only an idiot could compile. Well done, Rich.
Wouldn't mind Shaw from United coming in at LB. He has a devillish cross on him.
Not sure why we kept trying to stick it in the mix for Lacazette, though. While he scored a header in the first leg he is about 5 foot 6.
Last night was crying out for Giroud :-(
Pokster
05-04-2018, 08:33 AM
So SW was wrong, You do have a list.
A list only an idiot could compile. Well done, Rich.
I should imagine he wont have seen more than fleeting glimpses of any of them playing (apart from Oblak who we couldn't afford anyway)
Billy Goat Sverige
05-04-2018, 08:33 AM
There seems to be a cult of 'thou shalt not ever criticize Ozil' on here. He's a wonderfully talented player and he isn't given enough credit for how hard he works, however in tight games against well organized teams he goes missing too often. Last night was one of those games.
Not only that, if you criticise Özil it quickly becomes a discussion about “not getting it”, as though to criticise him singles you out as some sort of football illiterate.
He tracked back and tackled, had no movement in front of him, what was he supposed to do? The only ball available was to Monreal or Bellerin, which he did and they promptly over hit easy crosses
I'm with you, P. I'd suggest that Arsenal played pretty well last night. The only poor performances coming from the two wing backs. Performances of note to Chambers & Xhaka.
Ozil chased a lot of lost causes, made some lovely little passes and flicks. He can't play killer balls every week - especially against a team as well organised as Athletico. If you want evidence of their organisational skills then look no further than the fact that 41% of the game was played in their third and we had only one shot on target (a speculative drive from distance).
7sisters
05-04-2018, 08:34 AM
And yet time and again he’s singled out by those within the game for his inconsistency. Keown savaged him in the press today.
And yet time and again he’s singled out by those within the game for his inconsistency. Keown savaged him in the press today.
Keown is a moron - FACT
redgunamo
05-04-2018, 08:38 AM
He tracked back and tackled, had no movement in front of him, what was he supposed to do? The only ball available was to Monreal or Bellerin, which he did and they promptly over hit easy crosses
Mesut's problem is simply he doesn't score enough goals. And our team can't really afford that, not from our best player.
7sisters
05-04-2018, 08:39 AM
That’s an opinion. It doesn’t make it a fact. Fair enough that you disagree with him. Ozil divides opinions like no other player we have but he’s a luxury player and probably not one who plays to his strengths against a well organised, physical defence
win a European trophy with Arsenal :cry: :cry: :cry:
For what it's worth, I think the best team over two legs lost.
It was a brief, occasionally curt press conference, but none the less devastating for that. As Arsene Wenger reflected on his last, lost chance at salvaging a trophy from the final days of his Arsenal reign, there was a moistness and a redness to his eyes: the look of a man who had been crying, or was about to do so, and was doing his damnedest not to do it now, in front of hundreds of strangers with laptops.
“I am, like the team, very sad and very disappointed,” he said after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid that eliminated them from the Europa League at the semi-final stage. “Even very frustrated, as well, because when you go out of a competition and you had the performances over 180 minutes that we had, it is very difficult to take.
“For the club, there is now some time to think about what to do for next season,” he said. “I think there are some good ingredients in our team, and they will bounce back. These players have quality, and with the right additions in the summer, the team will compete next year.” And it the moment at which he dared to glimpse into the future – a future in which after 22 years, he and Arsenal are separate entities – that Wenger became most emotional.
Arsene Wenger. 2nd in the top ten managerial appearances in European competitions.
Arsene Wenger. The only manager in that top ten not to have won a European trophy.
Billy Goat Sverige
05-04-2018, 08:40 AM
Keown is a moron - FACT
As much as I thought Özil was rubbish I agree that Keown is a moron. If only he slagged off Arsene as much as he does his players.
Arsene Wenger. 2nd in the top ten managerial appearances in European competitions.
Arsene Wenger. The only manager in that top ten not to have won a European trophy.
Which clubs have the others managed, though? Wenger ran a team on a shoestring budget compared to most CL winners (bearing in mind he's only really had 2 shots at the EL).
Had he gone to Real or Bayern when he was offered the jobs then I have no doubt he'd have won a few. However, he is a loyal man and sometimes that is worth more.
That’s an opinion. It doesn’t make it a fact. Fair enough that you disagree with him. Ozil divides opinions like no other player we have but he’s a luxury player and probably not one who plays to his strengths against a well organised, physical defence
No it's a fact, nothing to do with last night. He constantly talks utter *******s
World's End Stella
05-04-2018, 08:43 AM
He tracked back and tackled, had no movement in front of him, what was he supposed to do? The only ball available was to Monreal or Bellerin, which he did and they promptly over hit easy crosses
I think you're being too kind to him, PRSB. If he isn't capable of influencing a game unless there is sufficient movement in front of him we probably shouldn't be paying him 350k a week (or whatever).
No it's a fact, nothing to do with last night. He constantly talks utter *******s
Agree 100%. I think he just says controversial things for the sake of it to justify his position as a pundit.
World's End Stella
05-04-2018, 08:44 AM
Not only that, if you criticise Özil it quickly becomes a discussion about “not getting it”, as though to criticise him singles you out as some sort of football illiterate.
Yes, exactly. And it's not just Anaconda, either. :-)
71 Guns - channeling the spirit of Mr Hat
05-04-2018, 08:44 AM
Arsene Wenger. 2nd in the top ten managerial appearances in European competitions.
Arsene Wenger. The only manager in that top ten not to have won a European trophy.
If only Thierry could shoot eh :-( :cry:
I think you're being too kind to him, PRSB. If he isn't capable of influencing a game unless there is sufficient movement in front of him we probably shouldn't be paying him 350k a week (or whatever).
He's not Messi, if there's nothing going on in front of him then what's he supposed to do? He played the ball that was on, which was to the wing backs. If they put in half decent crosses then everyone would be saying the he'd had a decent game.
No it's a fact, nothing to do with last night. He constantly talks utter *******s
Most of them do, Robbie Savage last night was scaling new heights of stupidity and retardity. If he had announced his name to be Rich I would not have been surprised.
Arsenal are going to score soon because the crowd is nervous. Jesus Christ.
Most of them do, Robbie Savage last night was scaling new heights of stupidity and retardity. If he had announced his name to be Rich I would not have been surprised.
Arsenal are going to score soon because the crowd is nervous. Jesus Christ.
'Althletico Madrid... Known as The Mattress Makers around these parts, for obvious reasons'
What?!?!?!
World's End Stella
05-04-2018, 08:51 AM
He's not Messi, if there's nothing going on in front of him then what's he supposed to do? He played the ball that was on, which was to the wing backs. If they put in half decent crosses then everyone would be saying the he'd had a decent game.
I have - a great many times - seen extremely talented players play a ball that takes defenders out of the game even when there appears to be nothing on. It's a special genius that players like Dennis had. Those players change games and deserve 350k a week.
Ozil has that ability, I think.
I have - a great many times - seen extremely talented players play a ball that takes defenders out of the game even when there appears to be nothing on. It's a special genius that players like Dennis had. Those players change games and deserve 350k a week.
Ozil has that ability, I think.
Yes, he does. But Athletico were so well organised that there was rarely, if ever, a nigh on impossible ball available to play.
I have - a great many times - seen extremely talented players play a ball that takes defenders out of the game even when there appears to be nothing on. It's a special genius that players like Dennis had. Those players change games and deserve 350k a week.
Ozil has that ability, I think.
This was probably the best defence we'll ever come up against and if there's no movement, which there wasn't, then there's no ball to play
'Althletico Madrid... Known as The Mattress Makers around these parts, for obvious reasons'
What?!?!?!
I didn’t hear that to be honest and that sort of time filling nonsense doesn’t really bother me.
These pundit people are ex-professionals and whether we like to admit it or not have a depth of knowledge about the game, and playing the game, that we simply don’t. Sometimes you want them to express this.
I don’t mind Keown so much. He was an angry, aggressive defender and his punditry style mirrors that. He can be negative but then a lot of our performances and results are hardly those to shout from the rooftops about.
If only Thierry could shoot eh :-( :cry:
Another one that used to get accused of going missing in 'big games' iirc : ozil:
Which clubs have the others managed, though? Wenger ran a team on a shoestring budget compared to most CL winners (bearing in mind he's only really had 2 shots at the EL).
a manager on Ł8.5m a year runs team on a shoestring?
Squillachi et al on Ł50k per week?
Some fúcking shoestring...
This was probably the best defence we'll ever come up against and if there's no movement, which there wasn't, then there's no ball to play
nail and head, psrb
There was one occasion last night when Ozil was on the ball and just about everyone on the pitch was stationary for 3 or 4 seconds.
redgunamo
05-04-2018, 09:18 AM
I have - a great many times - seen extremely talented players play a ball that takes defenders out of the game even when there appears to be nothing on. It's a special genius that players like Dennis had. Those players change games and deserve 350k a week.
Ozil has that ability, I think.
Of course, if there was nothing on, Dennis could just pot the ball into the top corner himself. And everyone knew it. That's the difference.
Of course, if there was nothing on, Dennis could just pot the ball into the top corner himself. And everyone knew it. That's the difference.
DB10 was the best player I've ever seen.
DB10 was the best player I've ever seen.
Best Arsenal player or best player?
7sisters
05-04-2018, 10:11 AM
He also possessed a win at all costs mentality and that’s something lacking throughout our entire squad. The talent is there but we play as 11 individuals. I’d even accept a different managerial approach could turn around our current back four. It’s a great opportunity for whoever comes in. We only need some fine tuning and we also appear to have a rich seam of young talent coming through..
He also possessed a win at all costs mentality and that’s something lacking throughout our entire squad. The talent is there but we play as 11 individuals. I’d even accept a different managerial approach could turn around our current back four. It’s a great opportunity for whoever comes in. We only need some fine tuning and we also appear to have a rich seam of young talent coming through..
Totally different group of players playing in a totally different era of football.
Each of them, or most of them, superbly gifted but equally as hard as fúck. Would kick your bollócks in to win a game of football. The generic term you often read bandied about is “real men”. Players who the opposition would see in the tunnel and the job was half done.
Now compare that to the current bunch. Gifted for sure but there is a continued group weakness, week after week and season after season.
You could probably argue that not one current player would make the teams of the Bergkamp era, not one would certainly make a Wenger best 11 and that includes the sometimes mercurial German.
I was watching that game at OT last weekend and was thinking about how shít, how benign and how generally meaningless it was compared to the days when it was the biggest match of the entire football season. In one thought it encapsulated the group of ****s we currently employ.
Best Arsenal player or best player?
Arsenal and live
Totally different group of players playing in a totally different era of football.
Each of them, or most of them, superbly gifted but equally as hard as fúck. Would kick your bollócks in to win a game of football. The generic term you often read bandied about is “real men”. Players who the opposition would see in the tunnel and the job was half done.
Now compare that to the current bunch. Gifted for sure but there is a continued group weakness, week after week and season after season.
You could probably argue that not one current player would make the teams of the Bergkamp era, not one would certainly make a Wenger best 11 and that includes the sometimes mercurial German.
I was watching that game at OT last weekend and was thinking about how shít, how benign and how generally meaningless it was compared to the days when it was the biggest match of the entire football season. In one thought it encapsulated the group of ****s we currently employ.
Change is afoot, SW. I think Minsilant and Sanhelli are born winners and I, for one, welcome the fact that they are being given a significant amount of influence at the club.
While I'd hate to see us win the Athletico way (ugly and bordering on illegal), I would be happy with a more gritty approach. This is the main reason that I would like to see Allegri come in. He doesn't appear to be a man that suffers fools gladly & I think some members of the squad would be in for quite a shock were he to be appointed.
Change is afoot, SW. I think Minsilant and Sanhelli are born winners and I, for one, welcome the fact that they are being given a significant amount of influence at the club.
While I'd hate to see us win the Athletico way (ugly and bordering on illegal), I would be happy with a more gritty approach. This is the main reason that I would like to see Allegri come in. He doesn't appear to be a man that suffers fools gladly & I think some members of the squad would be in for quite a shock were he to be appointed.
Shut up you arséhole.
Burney
05-04-2018, 10:26 AM
He also possessed a win at all costs mentality and that’s something lacking throughout our entire squad. The talent is there but we play as 11 individuals. I’d even accept a different managerial approach could turn around our current back four. It’s a great opportunity for whoever comes in. We only need some fine tuning and we also appear to have a rich seam of young talent coming through..
Dennis? Win at all costs? You must remember a very different Dennis Bergkamp to me.
The Dennis I remember went missing with frustrating regularity for someone of his ability.
A great player, but let's not pretend he was something he wasn't.
Dennis? Win at all costs? You must remember a very different Dennis Bergkamp to me.
The Dennis I remember went missing with frustrating regularity for someone of his ability.
A great player, but let's not pretend he was something he wasn't.
I think he meant win at all costs unless it involved an airport.
Shut up you arséhole.
How often do you see them playing free-flowing, attacking football? How often do you see them using good 'game management' (petit fouls, time wasting etc). While they are second in the league, they have scored just 55 goals (around 30 fewer than the bigger teams and the least in the top 5).
I cannot speak for you, however, I can safely say that this is not the sort of football I wish to see from The Arsenal.
How often do you see them playing free-flowing, attacking football? How often do you see them using good 'game management' (petit fouls, time wasting etc). While they are second in the league, they have scored just 55 goals (around 30 fewer than the bigger teams and the least in the top 5).
I cannot speak for you, however, I can safely say that this is not the sort of football I wish to see from The Arsenal.
I'd like to see the defensive side at Arsenal but considering the strikers they have, a bit more flair wouldn't go amiss
Burney
05-04-2018, 10:33 AM
I think he meant win at all costs unless it involved an airport.
...or a penalty against Manchester United.
#neverforgetneverforgive
:furious:
...or a penalty against Manchester United.
#neverforgetneverforgive
:furious:
:nod: He bloody telegraphed where he was going to put it
Pokster
05-04-2018, 10:36 AM
Dennis? Win at all costs? You must remember a very different Dennis Bergkamp to me.
The Dennis I remember went missing with frustrating regularity for someone of his ability.
A great player, but let's not pretend he was something he wasn't.
I agree with you 100%, I always felt there was loads more he could have achieved with us
Pokster
05-04-2018, 10:39 AM
How often do you see them playing free-flowing, attacking football? How often do you see them using good 'game management' (petit fouls, time wasting etc). While they are second in the league, they have scored just 55 goals (around 30 fewer than the bigger teams and the least in the top 5).
I cannot speak for you, however, I can safely say that this is not the sort of football I wish to see from The Arsenal.
We have only scored 12 more than that and a lot of them have come in the last 4 or 5 home matches
I'd like to see the defensive side at Arsenal but considering the strikers they have, a bit more flair wouldn't go amiss
Yet they clearly and by some distance had the two best attacking performances on the pitch last night.
Flair? Can be over-rated you know. Professional football is about winning.
The lad Griezemann even fitted in a rabona last night.
Burney
05-04-2018, 10:47 AM
I agree with you 100%, I always felt there was loads more he could have achieved with us
Well as Sir C points out, the mere fact that a player of his ability was happy to play for a team like Arsenal when he should have been playing for one of the European giants was evidence that he was not especially ambitious or driven.
Yet they clearly and by some distance had the two best attacking performances on the pitch last night.
Flair? Can be over-rated you know. Professional football is about winning.
The lad Griezemann even fitted in a rabona last night.
You are missing the point. They were always going to play on the counter attack. If Arsenal had been afforded that much space then I'm sure Ozil, Ramsey and Mikihtaryan could have been a lot more influential.
If Arsenal had put 9 behind the ball then I imagine you'd have seen less of a 'great' performance from their two strikers.
Well as Sir C points out, the mere fact that a player of his ability was happy to play for a team like Arsenal when he should have been playing for one of the European giants was evidence that he was not especially ambitious or driven.
Token: He was driven everywhere
You are missing the point. They were always going to play on the counter attack. If Arsenal had been afforded that much space then I'm sure Ozil, Ramsey and Mikihtaryan could have been a lot more influential.
If Arsenal had put 9 behind the ball then I imagine you'd have seen less of a 'great' performance from their two strikers.
I am not sure I would be so limited as to simply describe their performance last night as being based on counter attacks.
Sure they had a few late in the game as we pushed on for the goal we needed and invariably left space and perhaps lesser numbers at the back, a natural part of any game of football of course where one team is pushing on.
Rest of the time I thought they played a very controlled game. Their defenders defended, their midfield covered their defence and when needed passed the ball around and their forwards provided an outlet. All very commendable really.
If you are confident in your ability to defend and bide your time in full knowledge that at some point the opposition will make a mistake in defence then that is fine.
You simply don’t really understand the game and make a naďve straight line connection between ball possession and quality, or superiority or whatever.
I am not sure I would be so limited as to simply describe their performance last night as being based on counter attacks.
Sure they had a few late in the game as we pushed on for the goal we needed and invariably left space and perhaps lesser numbers at the back, a natural part of any game of football of course where one team is pushing on.
Rest of the time I thought they played a very controlled game. Their defenders defended, their midfield covered their defence and when needed passed the ball around and their forwards provided an outlet. All very commendable really.
If you are confident in your ability to defend and bide your time in full knowledge that at some point the opposition will make a mistake in defence then that is fine.
You simply don’t really understand the game and make a naďve straight line connection between ball possession and quality, or superiority or whatever.
On the contrary, I think that Simeone's tactics are to apply attacking pressure in waves. I.e. become reserved for a period, inviting pressure on, safe in the knowledge that their organisation is so good that it very difficult for their opponents to attack. Then, at various intervals (whether these are pre-defined, decided by the natural ebb & flow of the game, decided by the captain etc) the defence, midfield and attack will move 20-30 yards further up the pitch. This seemed to disrupt Arsenal's attacking intent and I'm sure provided some respite from the mentally draining task of defending a constant territorial disadvantage.
On the contrary, I think that Simeone's tactics are to apply attacking pressure in waves. I.e. become reserved for a period, inviting pressure on, safe in the knowledge that their organisation is so good that it very difficult for their opponents to attack. Then, at various intervals (whether these are pre-defined, decided by the natural ebb & flow of the game, decided by the captain etc) the defence, midfield and attack will move 20-30 yards further up the pitch. This seemed to disrupt Arsenal's attacking intent and I'm sure provided some respite from the mentally draining task of defending a constant territorial disadvantage.
... and then they undid us with a pub league, long ball. Again.
redgunamo
05-04-2018, 11:32 AM
Well as Sir C points out, the mere fact that a player of his ability was happy to play for a team like Arsenal when he should have been playing for one of the European giants was evidence that he was not especially ambitious or driven.
Does the same go for Wenger too?
World's End Stella
05-04-2018, 01:35 PM
Well as Sir C points out, the mere fact that a player of his ability was happy to play for a team like Arsenal when he should have been playing for one of the European giants was evidence that he was not especially ambitious or driven.
Routinely quiet in big games, I think his lack of pace was often a reason.
And as Peter has pointed out to us many times, he was really only 'a poor man's Teddy Sheringham'. :-)
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