The cracks show as Arsene becomes a hindrance again
SWANSEA 3 ARSENAL 2
CREDIT first of all to Swansea. I’d say this defeat was 60% the product of their excellence, 40% the product of our ineptitude.
To me it felt as if today was the day when the paper that had covered our cracks finally gave way. I felt Swansea deserved it. Again we failed to capitalise on a lead – in our last seven league games we haven’t once scored two successive goals. Yes, we were potentially unfortunate on the penalty but there was still more than enough time to regroup, improve and win the game.
So on the penalty, the first thing to say is that whether or not the decision was right, it was certainly reasonable. I’ve long believed that reasonableness, rather than right or wrong, is a better barometer for measuring decisions. And on this occasion I don’t think any objective person, on first glance, would have said the penalty decision was unreasonable.
Now, on much closer inspection, it appeared that perhaps Dyer had caught Ramsey, rather than vice-versa. But (and I realise some of you will ridicule what I’m about to say), I think those super close-ups may have been misleading and that actually Ramsey had indeed got into Dyer’s space, rather than vice versa and that the first glance was actually correct.
Anyway, that’s my take.
So a few personnel thoughts:
Szczesny – that was very, very, very poor for the third goal. He just started off in a woeful position and it gifted them a goal (it was very unlikely to go in had he been properly positioned).
Full-backs – we’re really suffering at the moment. Miquel is trying gamely but is not one, Djourou is even less of one.
Arteta-Song-Ramsey is a nearly acceptable midfield. Benayoun-Song-Ramsey clearly is not. Nor was the replacement like for like either: the injured Coquelin or the unwisely loaned Frimpong would have better impersonated Arteta’s role in the team.
This may sound harsh and reactionary but it is what I’ve thought for a while: we should be very open to finding better options than Ramsey, Arteta and yes, even Song. I’m not saying they are not good enough, just that they are not in the class of player who you just wouldn’t waste your time thinking of an improvement for. Wilshere, for example, falls into that category.
The friend I watched the game with asked “what is Ramsey there for?” I think that harsh but the fact is his record of one league goal this season is poor. It is also true (and this is Wenger’s rather than Ramsey’s fault) that he never actually won his place in the team. He didn’t oust anyone to get it. Instead, it became his by default when Cesc and Nasri left and Wilshere got injured. I do think he has promise, but whether, at 21 he should be starting every game for Arsenal, I’m not so sure.
Our wingers: Yes, I know Theo scored today (nice finish but would have been poor not to score) and yes, I know our wingers haven’t had proper full-backs behind them for ages. But the fact is they’re not performing. And yet still Oxlade-Chamberlain can’t get a game. In fact, I almost wonder if it would be easier for him to get one were the likes of Walcott and Arshavin playing well. At least then Oxlade could be drafted in without it appearing either of the other two had been dropped for poor form, which in the sometimes hierarchical world of Arsenal seems to be an issue.
Henry: People will have all sorts of opinions on him, usually based solely on whether or not he has scored. On Monday I thought he looked rusty but took his goal very well. Today he looked sharper I thought and what failings there were in his appearance seemed no greater than the team’s in general.
Wenger: I’m afraid that today we saw the bad Wenger of the past few seasons return. The one who, when his team is struggling, seems to become a hindrance rather than a help. The one who gets obsessed with minor issues of whose throw-in it is and who reacts to refereeing decisions in an embarrassingly extreme fashion. No manager likes losing, but when we need inspiration he too often appears like the last man we’d want to turn to.
It was as if he knew the cracks he had papered were being exposed.
agree with most of the analysis. i haven’t really seen a good replay of the penalty, but can see why it was given. i’ve read some match reports where our centre-halves supposedly never looked comfortable. i disagree on that point and thought kos was excellent and even on the 3rd goal, it was definitely szczesny’s fault. if he had continued to come out i think he would have made it. if he had stayed on his line, the shot would have been a lot more difficult from that angle. instead, he gave graham a good angle for the shot. our gk has had a good season, but needs to accept the criticism here. i thought we missed arteta a lot, he brings calm and the ability to hold the ball. i’m not sure what benayoun brought. arshavin (apart from 1 good pass) and walcott (apart from goal) were both crap. i would drop both of them, they’ve had plenty of chances. chamberlain should start. ramsey may need to sit for a while too: to be fair he worked hard but nothing came off today and he was guilty for the 1st 2 goals. he hasn’t hit the heights that jack did in his 1st full season.
i know we’re missing full backs and the temptation would be to buy (or loan) in those positions – and we should. But based on today and the fact that jack isn’t back for another month, today shows that we need midfield cover even more. coquelin covers for song, but not for arteta. i’m ok with frimpong being out on loan, he needs the experience.
overall: a really poor performance.
It abt time 4 arsene to leave n we need to get some better players now who remember a team that alway get into the cl but NEVER get any trophy LOSER!!! so angry what is arsene doing with the team we are worse than spur we become a nobody team no wonder rvp doesnt want to extend his contract hope he leave 4 barc he is a gd player
Spot on article. Something needs to change fast
Told you so
Wenger the Con Man needs to go
So many players are a no go
Give me the team that on its shirt had the big O.
It was easy to see
Arsenal were outplayed by Swansea
I prefer to see wenger got fired than to watch arsenal playing
Terrible performance from Arsenal, walcott is useless, Arshavin is finished, mertsacker is slow and weak (samba) wud have been a much better option, Djourou is pathetic wouldnt get a game at utd, spurs, city, chelsea, liverpool and many more just a terrible player!! we might as well face the the music lads, TOP 4 (forget it no chance) my guess probably 6th, VP gonna leave, arsenal will take 25m come july/august & wenger is finished…. THE ONLY WAY FORWARD FOR THIS CLUB IS USMANOV…… wenger, hillwood, kronke can F**K OFF
Knew this was a banana skin seeing Swansea only conceded 4 goals at home before this and our defence is again shite.
Man U up next. Can anyone honestly see us losing less than 10 games this season? That’s definitely not top 4 stats.
Can’t disagree with anything in the post unfortunately although I don’t think it was a pen.
its about time people realize Ramsey isn’t what Arsenal needs , I’m not sure even Wilshere is the answer. Song has a lot of wobbles. He’s only looks good at Arsenal when no expectation is placed upon him. The rest in midfield are subs at best. SO in reality, Arsenal has a terrible midfield formation this season, no wonder they can’t win a lot of matches. Yes, Arteta can be key to a few games but he’s not going to lit the world on fire. Probably he’s the only player at the team who has no fear of losing the ball at his control.
All we need is more signings,good recognised players from backline upfront. Chamberlain is gud,ramsey needs more time 2 mature,djorou is worst. I feel our injured players owe big impact.
Ramsey is the worst. He was to blame for two goals and the Polish keeper was to blame for the third. His position is bad.>Ramsey runs all over the place but is soft,slow and has now power to his game at all. Just because he is UK born he gets credit. We cant affoard to have mediocre players in middle of the park. If Wenger does not spend cash there then we will be mediocre. Since Wenger bought Ramsey and Walcott for lots of money at young age and neither has developed into the player he hoped they would become he needs to be men enough and admit to that and go out there and buy serious players who are already good not might be good….
Wenger looks like he is pooping his pants every time he is shown on the bench. I do think if Arsenal can bring in some quality and put Arshavin and Chamak where they belong (spot starts for rest), they might make it to fourth. The apparent lack of desire from the top down in disheartening and makes me question my allegiance. Why support a team that doesn’t appear to want to do what it takes to progress? It just seems that way, but perception is sometimes reality.
Ramsey’s perfomance yesterday reminded me of the Spurs game. He was pathetic then and still is. Based on yesterday’s game i think pple r being unfair on Djouru. He did well compared to Per who was playing in his prefered position. I have always said Arsenal are in dire need of a creative player something we dont have at the moment. Someone who can open up defences. Most of the players we have are just hard workers with little skill which is why we end waiting for DM like Song to make assists something he cant do week in week out considering his position. Jack alone wont be the solution!
Geez,some of you are absolutely blind,dumb or just ignorant.
Ramsey to blame for two goals…..blame him for world war 2 while youre at it.
His workrate is phenomenal and makes some others look ridiculous.
Song is a great player but lazy and takes little responsibility when not in possession.
Arshavin……let him go.
Walcott……let him go.
Rosicky…same again.
Seriously,the big problem is Arsenal fans do not know what they want!
We want Wenger to play the young guys,but we don’t want to drop points which inevitably happens blooding kids.
We hate it when we sell young players before theyve had a chance,but again,we don’t want to lose games whilst giving them their chance.
We want to bag the shit out of City and Chelsea for buying trophies,then complain about Wenger not spending cash.
We Arsenal supporters,in general,are complete,utter morons,and need to realise its just a bloody game!!!!!
I am embarrassed to admit to bring a Gooner.
Not because it means I follow Arsenal,but because I am compared to the rest of you idiots!!
You’ve got no bloody loyalty to the club at all.
Sure Ramsey had a bad game, but the kid really needs a rest and besides he really tried. Everyone get off his case already! What this game showed us is how important Arteta has become to the team now. Yesterday’s match reminded me of one of the early season games before he moved further back and became a pivot. Without him Arsenal couldnt really control the game at all. If he’d been injured earlier in the week perhaps Wenger could’ve prepared the team better as the midfielders didn’t seem to know their roles. After the terrible start to the season Arsenal really improved and showed how well an organised and hard working team can perform. Just look at Swansea yesterday, how many of those players would you have wanted to sign at the start of the season? But look how well they played as a team (maybe we could poach one of their guys). It’s not always about the name and we do have decent midfielders. It’s up front that needs more reinforcement.
Last point: the attitude of and desire of the team have been fantastic the last few months and even yesterday there was a lot of application, so it’s really unfair to question that. Don’t forget that injuries are really taking their toll as well,
The positives from yesterday were that no red card which-was-never-a-red-card was given (like Djourou and Kompany recently).
Another point: I do believe that both Ramsey and Benayoun rightly should be described as industrious.
The problem is, that we’d expect Ramsey to be creative rather than running 12 km.
And our most industrious player, Song, was found out. I have earlier been quoted to say that once he has the ball, it takes at least two players to nick it from him. Yesterday he had his pocket picked multiple times.
Arshavin? He saddens me. Walcott? I thought he was supposed to be fast by gave up on one-on-ones more than once.
Yesterday we had two outstanding players; Kos and Rosicky. Kos had some responsibility in one of the goals – and Rosicky just came on and ran like Hell – unfortunately to no avail.
i recall Wenger saying about a month ago that it would be silly to drop points for want of a full-back, and yet here we are in mid-jan, no full-back signed and two defeats to start the year. i disagree with you on the midfield, i think when Jack’s back, Song & Arteta are an excellent supporting cast. we do need another fantasy/Götze-type player though, and surely O-C should be given a chance.
Wow a lot of illiterate, trolls on here.
We have an injury crisis. 4 full backs out. Vermaelen out. Arteta out. Give us a break you clowns.
I dont understand why Ramsey is getting so much stick. Far better performance than Alex Song who went AWOL yesterday. Ramsey was attempting to provide defensive cover whilst inspiring attack. I feel people are reading this situation wrong. Ramsey looked like the weak link because he was the only one not trying to hide in what was essentially a midfield 5.
Goodplaya, not sure I quite agree with you for a change. Yes, at first viewing from the standard camera angle it looked as if Ramsay might have touched Dyer. These days, for some ludicrous reason touching someone in the box is preceived as a penalty. Why? Is football a non contact sport? Why does toucing someone in the box need to be any different to touching them outside of the box? With this in mind I can see why the ref gave the pen, he thought Ramsay might have touched. But on of the replay angles shows very clearly that Dyer actually stretches his leg out backwards with what appears to be the sole aim of finding Ramsay’s leg so he can then justify falling over.
Scott and Phil, you are both right about Ramsay. He has played well in many games this season. He and his work ethic are some of the reasons why we have been defensively solid for two months. He loses the ball more than have been used to seeing Cesc lose the ball but Cesc is an exceptional player, there are few better than him in world football so expecting Ramsay to be as good as him is just ridiculous.
In any case, when Jack is back Ramsay will be a sub and I for one think he is good enough to be a player who plays 20 games a season for us, especially given that he is only 21. Lay off him.
After 5 minutes yesterday it was apparent that we would be more open than normal because of Arteta’s absence, they simply fouind space in front of the CB’s too easily and too often.
Anyway, we defended poorly as a team and we are carry too many players. The players that we need to ditch are obvious to everyone, Arshavin, Park, Chamakh. We do need someone who can play upfront and on the wing but doign transfer business in the winter window is easier said than done.
But Arsene has to take some risks now or we will finish 5th or 6th and he will be out on his arse.
I think that we seem to forget that we where missing any full back which helps create the drive. We play a 4-3-3 where the wing backs are meant to create the thrust. Look at how Swansea played both of their full backs where often beyond their pacy wingers. Add to that when TV is not playing at CB we have no drive out of the heart of the defence either meaning in an attacking sense we can easily be outnumbered by the defending team making it difficult to break them down.
Add to this we still dont have the correct midfield balance, I think that too many of our players want to attack and dont understand at all about defending or the need for a high tempo. Ramsey, Benayoun, Walcott and Arshavin are all very poor at this, they show no defensive understanding at times, yet they are pretty intelligent players, with the exception of Walcott at times.
This adds further pressure to the back four, which is missing 3 of it starters, as the midfield dont apply enough pressure to the ball making it easier to pick the right pass. So their lack of tempo causes problems as other teams find it easy to pick their passes. The other issue that is caused by the lack of tempo is that when we go to break the lack of pace in the break leads players like Ramsey to be have to try to search for a pass as he was for the 2nd goal and therefore being dispossessed by trying to allow his team mates the time to break.
We are not a million miles away but we are in need of 3 high quality players and I fear that the board and Wenger might be missing something here. Not qualifying for the CL is worth about £20m to £30m and therefore buying the right players pays for itself.
GK
Fine WS and LF are more than good enough. Get rid MA and VM.
LB
Santos offers good thrust as does Gibbs niether are great defenders but are good enough is the other 3 positions have got there first choice and the DM does their job.
CB
More than happy with TV, LK, PM and JD, we just have not had any luck keeping them fit. Get rid of SS.
RB
Sanga very solid but poor crosser, CJ is a great prospect very hard working and delivers a good cross.
DM
Song, Frimpong and FC are all solid options
CM
Wilshere, Ramsey, Arteta, Diaby are all very capable. YB, TR, Denilson are not anywhere near good enough at one player either a Viera/Toure type or a Cesc/Goetze type
Wings
AOX looks very good as does Gervinho. Walcott just does not seem to understand how to use what he has to great effect. How often is he caught offside? He should be a lot more than he is as he should be playing on the shoulder as that is his thing. Instead he takes it to feet. Arshavin just can’t find it again and could be better served moving to Russia. We should try hard to bring in Hazzard.
Striker
RVP is brilliant and always has been what a difference a lack of injuries make. We need a back up someone with good feet and a bit pace, LP has been mentioned also Sow both would serve us better than MC or Park however Park is likely to have paid for himself in Asia interest.
All in all by the time you move VM, MA, SS, TR, YB, Den, AA, MC, NB you have probably brought in between £30m and £40m more importantly the wage bill is likely to be down by about £500k.
Then you probably need to invest £60m to get the likes of Hazard, Sow and Goetze type players so we invest the £20m we made in the summer but reduce the wages further which either pays for RVP etc’s wage increases.
Most of the top teams have smaller squads than us but have stronger player to come off the bench why cant we do the same.
well, intersting comments here from both sides.
upon relfection, I, yes me, thinks they need to get back to the possession side of the game. the 4-3-3 formation does not allow us to control the midfield the way Arsenal need to. Other team does not have ball can’t score. Would even accept 4-5-1 for a while just to get points.
Other points noted, we are missing about everyone!!
Without Santos, Verm, Sagna, Arteta, Wilshire, Gerv out how can we expect to hold the ball!! Those individuals have some serious skills which we lack in those that played yesterday.
Swansea outplayed us everyhere and was really enjoyable to watch as we chased their Triangle passing. It was a sight to behold, as championship caliber team running Arsenal ragged. Who would of thought.
Can the team wait for everyone to come back from injury? Dont know if there is time, as 4th is critical!!
And true fans cheer refardless of what is going on!!!
We’ve hardly had an attacking player injured all season & yet only RvP is a threat. So please let’s not stick our heads in the sand & blame an injury crisis for where we are.
After the summer’s shambles I said coming 4th, getting out of the CL Group (with maybe victory in one knockout round with a decent draw) & Arsene winning a domestic cup before moving on would be the best we could hope for. I fear the worst now I’m afraid – I really don’t see 4th happening….
We’re not 5th because of injuries or refs. We’re 5th because we’ve been the 5th best team in the league so far. Quite simple really.
And let’s be honest – what’s more likely ? Us catching Spuds or Chelsea or Liverpool passing us ? A bet on us coming 6th or 4th at the minute would be a very simple decision to make
Agree the abuse for Ramsey is madness. He’s a good, young player with great potential. (his biggest flaw for me is that he thinks he has to do something brilliant every time he gets the ball. He’ll grow out of that though) Is he good enough to play every week ? No, he’s not. That’s not his fault, it’s the manager’s.
In response to what Arsenal fans want:
we don’t want to buy the title like City or the Scum. We want the boss to spend roughly equal to what he has sold to reinforce the squad. Going back to 2004, the team has made a profit each summer. That’s preposterous. Reinvest.
We also want Le Boss to play young players. Primarily for them to develop and to see if they have it. When the cake is ready, take it out of the oven. That said, Ramsey should play. But playing 90% of the minutes does him a disservice. He needs to develop, not learn how to play while exhausted.
I hope those distinctions help clarify what we want. Oh, and we all want to see Arshavin gone for fairly obvious reasons.
If the defnce doesn’t improve agaginst MU,be prepared for the gunners to
finally drop out of the reckoning for the cl berth.
I wont write off these players off just like that. But I agree they all had a bad day in the office on Sunday. What we need is a quality bench to improve competition off it. What is happening now is that we have a first eleven that simply looks irreplaceable so that even when they are playing rubbish, we cannot take them off.
So many muppets on here. How can’t you see ramseys potential. It’s wengers fault. To many playas not good enough. I.e chamach, squilachi, djourou , fabianski, denilson, park, benayoun, even rosicky is way past it. Arteta was s panic buy. Last summer was when our glorious manager started losing his genius marbles. Convincing cesc to stay then signing squilachi & chamach. Adios amigos !
THE most accurate blog i’ve seen from you goodplaya
spot on
keep it up!
Some good comments but also some keyboard warrior knee jerk reactions. I hate the way in the wake of a defeat the Internet is awash with
pathetic gooners. Poor reflection on the rest of us.