Arsenal and Podolski Transfer News

There have been some interesting reports in the press today on Lukas Podolski and the potential for a transfer to Arsenal. Podolski and Arsenal  have been mentioned on numerous occasions this year, not least around the time of the January transfer window. Frankly, it all tends to make sense. He is a very good player, friendly with Mertesacker, will come at the right price and- crucially- Arsenal will be able to offer him more in wages than he is currently getting at Koln.

Podolski Arsenal Transfer

Podolski can play wide left in a three (as he does for Germany) and in a central position, so he could either support Van Persie or even be given the chance to replace him, should Van Persie leave. He is a proven goal scorer at the highest level and would be a welcome addition.

There is one problem. I don’t think it will happen. Why?

Arsenal Transfer Policy

Simply put, this kind of ‘leak’ never seems to result in an Arsenal transfer. The deal can’t be done until the summer and provisional agreements are called ‘provisional’ for a reason. The story has come out of Germany with Bild newspaper and, I think this smells like a bit of bargaining from agents. It has all the classic ingredients. The player is available for ‘about £16m’, he has ‘provisionally’ agreed with Arsenal etc etc.

In reality, the World  now knows that Podolski won’t be getting more than £70k a week at Arsenal if they have been talking to him. There is now about 5-6 months in which Cologne can talk to other interested or faux interested clubs. All of whom, will know the kind of wages they need to trump in order to get him. There are the European Championships to come (Germany will be strong and Podolski is likely to play a lot) and every agent will be crawling all over the top players.

Arsenal Transfers

Frankly, if Arsenal were going to get Podolski, I suspect the deal would have been done in January.  The likes of Chelsea, Man City, Man United, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona et al will throw over some interest to the agents and, any deal for Podolski will get delayed until the last minute if he is going to end up at Arsenal. It’s the way of the world. Arsenal don’t have the wage structure in order to do quick deals with the top players.

I think that more likely Arsenal transfers will be for players like Oliver Giroud and Yoann Gourcuff.

Sunderland 2 Arsenal 0 Lack of Rotation Costs Arsenal Dearly

Troubled Times at the Emirates Stadium

An altogether predictable performance and, loss to Sunderland will no doubt encourage the sensationalist press to engage in another round of rubbishing of Arsenal. There are grounds for criticism but journalists love hyperbole and exaggeration helps sell newspapers.

A cold analysis of this game would see it as an almost inevitable consequence of a sequence of three away games in a week against very physical and competitive opposition. Arsenal have notably underperformed in the weekend games after a midweek Champions League. However, within that story, there is a subplot and one of these themes has been a long running criticism that deserves to be charged against Arsene Wenger.

The four subplots are

1. The supernatural ability of Arsenal’s defenders to get injured this year
2. The unwillingness of Wenger to rotate the squad in deference to a insistence on always trying to play his best team
3. The insistence on rushing back players recovering from injury
4. The failure or lack of trust in the support players, plus the failure to offload dead wood from the squad

Arsenal’s Injury hit Season

Firstly, over these three games, Arsenal have managed to lose Mertesacker, Koscielny, Coquelin (a make shift defender) and Squillaci. In midfield, Ramsey went off limping and Wenger has been without Wilshere and Diaby for the whole season. This is following on from lengthy spells out for Vermaelen, Sagna, Gibbs, Jenkinson and Santos.

As for the backup players (who are in fact backups to the backups) Yennaris is far from ready and Miquel has acquitted himself well but is nowhere near the ability necessary for the game he played away at City. Indeed, arguably, Miquel cost Arsenal a point at City and Frimpong cost as three at home to Liverpool.

All of these injuries have caused a constant changing of personnel in the defence and it is no coincidence that when the defence is being shuffled, Arsenal have then struggled. Consider what Wenger was faced with before the Sunderland Premier League game, the first in the series of three in a week.

Sagna was barely fit but he played him and hoped he would last the three. Unfortunately, Sagna looked very tired in Milan. Vermaelen was at left back but then he decided to switch him to centre half because Mertesacker got injured. Gibbs was nowhere near fit, but he was forced to play him at Milan.

Essentially, in Milan, Arsenal had a tired player (Sagna) just coming back from injury and playing two games in five days. A left back who hadn’t played in months and a centre half who hadn’t played there for 11 games. No wonder it was a shambles!

Turning to the midfield, Diaby and Wilshere have been out all season whilst Arteta was recovering from short term injury. Frankly, Ramsey looks exhausted and this is not surprising given his recovery from his horrific injury. Gervinho is just back from Africa where Ivory Coast made the final of the African Nations.

Unwillingness to Rotate

Wenger simply doesn’t like rotating. He never has done. Simply put, Ramsey and Arteta should rotate in their positions and Arshavin and Rosicky should rotate at No 10. Wenger could have bought Scott Parker and rotated him with Song but these things don’t seem to be in his mind. He seems to always want to integrate his best players in the team for every game.

So, Song is obliged to play every game and the idea of Arshavin at No 10 is never countenanced. It is either Arshavin playing well on the wing, or he will play someone else. Unfortunately, the lack of rotation is causing fatigue amongst the likes of Song, Ramsey, Arteta and Van Persie.

Rushing Players Back From Injury

This always seems to happen at Arsenal and it is hard to know why. Gibbs was nowhere near fitness for the Milan game and this is a long line of occurrences with Arsenal. How many times does an Arsenal player get injured, then rushed back, only to relapse again with another injury. It may be a consequence of having a youthful squad or it may be failing of the medical staff or it maybe just bad luck.

 How do we really know?

Failure to Trust the Support Players

This is partly a factor of some of the issues discussed above but it is also a factor of failing to buy or support the right players. Benayoun has hardly been given a chance. He won the game at Aston Villa but then disappointed when given the chance to start in a home game. Conclusion? Let’s play Ramsey and Arteta game in, game out. Park can’t make the subs bench and Wenger drafted in Henry when Chamakh went to the African Nations. So why did Wenger pay for Benayoun or Park?

If Chamakh isn’t worthy of a start in a weaker game then why have him on the payroll? Similarly, the challenge exists to get rid of the players on loan Bendtner, Vela and Denilson who are a drag on the clubs resources. Furthermore, Diaby cannot seriously be considered as a squad player that can be relied on as he is never fit.

The reluctance to play Arshavin or Rosicky at No 10 is puzzling. Why are they continually played out of position? The answer to the Arshavin puzzle could be that he is likely to go to Russia soon.

Arsenal’s Future?

All of this may come across as a bleak prognosis, but it should not be. Arsenal are in very good shape with Ramsey and Wilshere pulling the strings in midfield. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Miyaichi are very exciting players in the wide positions and Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen and Mertesacker (when fit) are an excellent nucleus of a defence corp. Arteta and Song are excellent squad players.

I doubt that Bendnter, Denilson, Vela, Benayoun, Park, Squillaci and Arshavin have a future at the club.

As for the other positions, I suspect Van Persie will not sign a new contract so he will need replacing. Santos is unproven at left back and Arsenal could do with a dynamic player in the defensive midfield slot. The good news is that Arsenal have the transfer funds to do it and, securing a Champions League spot next year will help immensely in attracting players.

This is something that Arsenal can start to secure by having a weeks rest, ignoring the press and then stuffing Tottenham at home next week.

AC Milan 4 Arsenal 0

In a sense this game represents a perfect microcosm of everything that is going wrong at Arsenal this season. Ignore the headlines and the journalists who are taking delirious delight in mocking when a great club stumbles. The reasons for this defeat are not so much the eclipsing of one first eleven against another’s but, more a myriad number of factors, many of which lie in money.

Simply put, Milan has the money and willingness to build a huge and expensive squad that can compete on all fronts. Arsenal doesn’t.

Arsenal vs. Milan Game Report

This is an Arsenal blog, so I won’t dwell too much on Milan. They were excellent in this game and fully deserved their win. Especially as it came after becoming the only team to beat Udinese away this season, on Saturday. Curiously, Arsenal-in the Champions League Qualifier- were the only other team to beat Udinese away in a serious game.

We should note that Milan were able to change four players between these two games. Moreover, Seedorf (who started both) only managed to last 12 minutes in the Arsenal game.

By way of comparison, let’s look at Arsenal’s line up away to Sunderland and then away to Milan.

Sunderland- Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Song, Arteta, Rosicky, Walcott, Van Persie, Oxlade-Chamberlain

Milan- Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Song, Arteta, Ramsey, Walcott, Van Persie, Rosicky

Gibbs was brought in for the stricken Mertesacker and Ramsey started ahead of Oxlade-Chamberlain with Rosicky shunted out to the wing. Arshavin played for three minutes against Sunderland.

Arsenal vs. Milan What Went Wrong?

There are so points here that it is hard to keep a flow to it all, bullet points in the form of question should suffice

1. Sagna has just come back from injury and he was nowhere near capable of playing two games in succession. He looked exhausted from the word go. Why didn’t Coquelin play against Sunderland?
2. Gibbs was not really fit (where was his pace?) and should not have started. Song, Squillaci or Djourou could have started at centre back and Vermaelen could have kept some continuity by staying at left back.
3. The Koscielny/Vermaelen partnership looked exactly like it was. Two players who haven’t really played much together this season and both favour the left side of defence. In particular, Koscielny does not know how to cover his partner when he is ‘meeting’ the ball.
4. Why does Wenger persist in expecting Song to play the whole season, every game, in defensive midfield? Why was Frimpong sent out on loan?
5. Ramsey and Arteta together doesn’t work. They are too similar and Ramsey doesn’t know how to play at No 10. Since they both need a rest-they are both recovering from lengthy and serious injuries- why aren’t they rotated?
6. Even more puzzling why isn’t the Czech Republic’s captain and no 10 being asked to share time (at No 10) with Russia’s captain and No 10? Again, both players are at the age where they need to rotate. Why are they continually asked to play on the wing?
7. Theo Walcott is a flat track bully on the wing against weaker opposition but if he is going to be used at the highest level, it is time to give him a chance upfront. His proper position.
8. Oxlade-Chamberlain is already a better player than Walcott.
9. Why does Wenger insist on tinkering with the defence? Ok, Koscielny was injured, but Arsenal started the game with a defence of Sagna/Koscielny/Vermaelen/Gibbs and ended it with Sagna/Djourou//Song/Vermaelen. In other words, they played four different players at centre back!

Arsenal's Priorities?

In summary, Wenger has to take some blame for much of this. Arsenal have a host of bit part players who are not contributing. For example. Bendtner, Denilson and Vela are still on the payroll despite being on loan and unwanted by Arsenal.

Moreover, Benayoun, Park and Squillaci were surely bought because they were expected to play. It’s certainly true that Arsenal have had horrific bad luck with injuries. Mertesacker, Sagna, Jenkinson, Santos, Gibbs, Wilshere and Diaby have all missed large parts of the season.

In reality, this loss was written in the team sheet of the Sunderland game and, I suspect, in the realistic notion that qualifying for next years Champions League is the main aim of the season. It’s sad to write this, but three points at Sunderland seems to be more important then trying to beat Milan.

Bolton 0 Arsenal 0 Why Not Play Russia's No 10 at No 10?

Before I get into Arsenal vs. Bolton I want to discuss a few things.

In the days of Byzantium and the then later Ottoman period, Eunuchs were awarded a surprising amount of prominence in society. Indeed, Byzantine saw a famous Eunuch General (Narses 478-573) and at least one Patriarch. The Ottomans weren’t to be outdone in their usage of Eunuchs and they were given roles of high import within the structure of the Sultan’s court. Indeed, the Aga of the Girls was a specified role for a Eunuch. In an Ottoman imperial court riddled with Byzantine type intrigue (pun intended) such a role, gave them significant influence  in dynastic politics and favours.

Moreover, many of them were accorded bureaucratic positions that made them chief players in court intrigues. Contemporary acknowledgement of hygiene, might place their roles in the court of the Sultan as being even higher than the Groom of the Stool (he wiped the Sovereign of England’s arse, until 1558 when equal opportunities awareness saw that a woman was appointed to wipe the bottom of Elizabeth I)

Many readers will now be wondering why I am yapping on about this nonsense when this is supposed to be a blog post about Arsenal vs. Bolton?  I  digress.

Back to the Point of Arsenal vs. Bolton

One characteristic of Eunuchs is the length of the arms in relation to their body. A condition referred to as Kallmann’s syndrome. Essentially, chopping of the genitals at an early age causes a deficit of testosterone production. Normal calcification at puberty does not occur so your average Eunuch ends up with inordinately long arms. In addition, he probably will have a peculiarly high pitched voice, which incidentally, was much prized in history. Not least with the castrato singing roles used in Italian opera.

For those sufficiently interested, here is an example of Kallmann’s sufferer, Jimmy Scott, featured in Twin Peaks. Note the length of his arms.

What Does This have to do With Arsenal?

Well the thought occurred to me whilst watching this game, that the Aga of the Girls would probably have a better ‘scoring’ rate in the Imperial harem right now than Arsenal are having at putting away chances.

We can analyse these games to death-and trust me I will- but ultimately if you don’t score from your chances you won’t win the game. Arsenal completed 516 passes vs. 224 by Bolton and had 16 shots vs. 12.  So poor finishing cost Arsenal dearly in this game…

 by Guardian Chalkboards

Better News for Arsenal

On a more positive note, Bacary  Sagna was back to provide Arsenal with more solidity at the back and some tactical awareness of how to play at full back. Moreover, Arteta’s distribution was excellent.


 by Guardian Chalkboards

Unfortunately, Ramsey is, as yet, unable to use Arteta’s intelligent passing in order to support the attack enough and be more positive in his play. There is far too much dropping deep and trying to out ‘Arteta’ Arteta. Ramsey needs to push forward more. However, he's young and will surely learn these things in time.

Song does try and fill the gaps when Ramsey and Arteta are both deep but I doubt he has the stamina or pace to play in this role. I think Wenger has to choose between Ramsey and Arteta, then select Rosicky when he is fit. Or, Diaby, if we will ever see him again. Or Wilshere, when he gets back. Or Arshavin, if he is ever, ever, ever going to be given the chance to play in his proper position.

An utterly frustrating game for Arsenal. A bit like being a Eunuch in an Imperial harem.

Arsenal 1 Man United 2 Same Old Story

A game that will live long in the memory as Wenger managed to invoke the ire of the Arsenal support with the puzzling substitution of Chamberlain in the second half. The fact that it involved a swap for the increasingly unpopular Arshavin and left Walcott still on the pitch, only served to ratchet the booing higher.  It certainly changed a game that Arsenal looked like they were about to win. It also highlighted Wenger’s long observed unwillingness to consider tactics.

My suspicion is that he had made his mind up to remove Chamberlain before the game had started and on the basis of his current physical conditioning. I’m prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, by way of comparison, consider how ‘street smart’ Mick McCarthy was to remove Frimpong against Spurs, when he was obviously heading for a sending off.

Wenger was faced with exactly the same decision with Frimpong against Liverpool. He kept him on. Frimpong was sent off. Arsenal lost.

Wenger’s Tactical Inflexibility

Wenger is tactically inflexible, but he is so, for the right reasons. From his point of view, he sets out a team strategically and expects that they have the ability to dominate their opponents. The other team is supposed to make tactical adjustments.

As for the benefits of Arsenal making tactical adjustments, he probably feels that excessive tinkering is a kind of foolish wishful thinking from a manager trying to tamper with the statistically inevitable. In Wenger’s view it is probably like a poker player who starts going on ‘tilt’ because he feels he is losing. Ultimately, it makes more sense to stick to playing the hands that you set out to play at the start.

I’m not sure I agree with this view, but that’s how I think he views it.

 

Arsenal’s vs. Man United

Vermaelen came back and, once again, Arsenal had centre backs in the full back positions. Rosicky was preferred to Benayoun following the latter’s hapless display at Swansea. Oxlade-Chamberlain was given his first premier league start.

Szczesny

Djourou

Mertesacker

Koscielny

Vermaelen

Song

Ramsey

Rosicky

Walcott

Van Persie

Chamberlain

The key to this game tactically was that Man United-just like Swansea before them-would try to get at Arsenal’s makeshift full backs and, in turn, Arsenal would struggle to get much offensively from the full backs. The other main tactical aspect was that Giggs and Carrick are not a high energy central midfield pairing and, were likely to tire late on in the game.

 And so it proved! United went hell for leather in closing down Arsenal in the first half and dominated the play, however, their energy ran out in the second half and Arsenal took over.

Djourou Picked On

We can see how United targeted Djourou in this board. Note that Nani is No 17….

 by Guardian Chalkboards

Of course, it is not just about Djourou. Walcott gave him little help and Djourou/Mertesacker is easier to attack with pace than Vermaelen/Koscielny is on the other side. Mertesacker actually played very well here and his reading if the game is truly exceptional. Koscielny played well too.

Lack of Experienced Full Backs Hurting Arsenal in Attack

I think the following expresses the problem…

Passes completed in the opposition penalty area

• Chamberlain (74mins) 4
• Ramsey (84mins) 3
• Yennaris (45mins) 3
• Rosicky 1
• Song 1
• RVP 1
• WALCOTT 0

Neither, Djourou nor Vermaelen even attempted a pass into the penalty area. Yennaris attempted nine after he came on for the second half. This reflects Arsenal's domination of the second half and his natural 'full back instinct' to know where to position himself. We are not getting that with Djourou or Vermaelen.

Arsenal’s Midfield

This blog is consistent in its belief that Song may not have the stamina or pace to play at the very highest level. As for Ramsey, we can only hope his drop in form is due to tiredness. It is horrible to even think that he has lost some pace because of his horrific injury, but it does need to be considered.

When a player slows down-usually as he gets older- he starts stopping from driving forward (because he doesn’t have the pace to get away) and prefers to cut back and look for a passing option.

I hope this is not the case with Ramsey. However, if it is not, then he needs to learn a bit from his partner today in Rosicky. See here…

 by Guardian Chalkboards

 

If you turn your laptop screen 90 degrees, it is actually difficult to visualize which way Ramsey was playing in this game! Shades of Denilson? Whilst note, how much more attack minded Rosicky was. Ramsey completed only two passes to players (Walcott) in wide positions and one was near the halfway line!

Arsenal Missing Chances

Usual story here. Poor finishing. Full backs missing and tactically it’s hurting us. Arshavin is wasted on the wing, either he plays behind the striker or he doesn't play at all, in my humble opinion. Chamberlain is already a better player than Walcott and I suspect Miyaichi will prove to be as well. Arsenal has managed to lose a game where they had 14 shots on goal vs. Man United’s 9.

In the end, it boiled down a few tactical nuances, but you need to understand these things if you want to win things.