Arsenal
Crowd did their job Wenger didn't
Four wasted
By Boris Mellor
October 30 2008
Wenger needs to give a sensible answer as to how his team blew a 4-2 lead in a matter of minutes, how a team that was down, and looking very much out, came back into the game. Because his present answers do not make sense. Firstly he cannot blame the crowd who were brilliant, and at 1-0 down urged the team on to equalise, and then go ahead.
At 4-2 up the crowd were celebrating; and over half the Spurs fans had gone home. None of them were expecting a miracle, and there wasn't one, unless you call complete incompetence a miracle.
Four warned
If a team becomes the shambles that Arsenal became in the last five minutes then even a team as bad as Tottenham will take advantage. Teams just out of the Championship have defended better against them. Three of the conceded goals came out of individual errors, but that should not detract from the poor shape and organisation of defence and the midfield.
Wenger can complain that the crowd doesn't get behind the team, in fact the crowd were excellent, but the crowd is losing confidence. As for his explanation that Arsenal should have scored a fifth goal I have not heard such nonsense since Ardilles was manager at the Lane.
Does he really think the main reason for this fiasco was because the team failed to score five, if he does then he has had a brainstorm. If it was 4-4 at halftime then that is a valid explanation, but at 4-2 with a couple of minutes to go then it doesn't make sense. All that was required was some basic defending. His team conceded four goals to a team that has only scored .5 of a goal in open play per game. But last nights goals were not penalties or free kicks, they happened in open play. They conceded the equivalent of eight games worth of goals last night.And Arsene should not shift the buck on to the team, it stops with him, his argument that the team was too cautious is nonsense. If he wanted the team to try harder for more goals then he should have put the right subs on. Taking off Walcott, Nasri and Rvp, and replacing with Eboue, Song and Diaby does not signal the intention to attack as well as putting on Bendtner, and Vela, would have done.
If the team was confused as to what it was meant to do then Wenger need look no further than himself for an explanation. I recently wrote that only six points in the next two games would convince fans of Arsene's claims that this team can win silverware. With a defence as glass jawed as last night's, without some serious change in organisation, commitment, and even personnel most will remain unconvinced.
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StumbleuponWith 2 minutes left, the priority is not to concede and to retain the ball, we did neither, and paid the price. I put it down to mentality more than anything, world class players know when to attack and when to just keep ball. In that sense im afraid, we havent got any of that calibre.
AW has been continously p.issing me off since February (started with himdropping an inform Senderos for an unfit of Toure) and frankly I have started to lose faith in him.
we had a good rb in eboue yet he played toure in an unfamiliar position and him playing might have cost us a place in the cl semis (babel pk)
wenger needs to beat Tony Adams to the signing of Martin Keown as a coach, we need old Rash on the staff so players will be afraid to come back into the dressing room after putting in a shambles of a performance like last night and Hull and Fulham and Sunderland. Our team has changed many times in Wenger's twelve years but the coaching staff has changed very very little. We need someone there who will say to Wenger in no uncertain way NO NO NO for GODS SAKE NO that is the wrong formation, or wrong team, or wrong sub and not yes do that you always know best
Quote:eduardo
I wonder what Djourou must think. Why give him a new long term contract and then not play him in either of his two best positions - DM and CD - when clearly this team could do with his height and mobility in both these positions.
....
Wenger's team selection is based on injuries and pecking order. As long as 2 of the Gallas, Toure or Silvestre are available, Djourou will not start an EPL or CL game. Its that simple.
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I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to as well.
Quote:Emad
Can't disagree with the article, but Clichy is developing a nasty habbit of making costly mistakes in important games (birmingham, Spuds).
And against Citeh, he tried to dribble away from the goal line only to be dispossessed for Citeh to score after that. He really really needs to take a closer look at his defending and not make stupid decisions like losing possession in dangerous areas. Just boot the fu*king ball away to safety if there are no options.
we got lucky at istanbul because almunia had an extraordinary game our defence and midfield were in shambles at fenerbache luckily we conceded just two and because of our attack scored 5
against spurs we scored 4 but dint get lucky as we did against fenerbache...this had been coming der were signs of it obviously wenger didnt attend to it and we lost it in the last 5 mins
Wenger, we need to score 5 to sow the game up with
three minutes to go when we're winning 4-2.
Does that comment show his lack of faith in
his defence? If so,join the club.
At the risk of invoking the wrath of Rockstaar
we won't be winning the league without the
defence being sorted
In January Wenger you know what to do.
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