| Sunday, December 3, 2006 |
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Yes, same old Arsenal, different players |
Gooners
Hello Gooners and especially to you Anti. It has been awhile. Lets just say my professional life has taken me to pastures new and I am enjoying the ride. I don’t get to see as many Arsenal matches live as I would like to but I am not regretting it either.
It is amazing how much criticisms have come Arsenal and Arsene Wenger’s way since the end of the Invincible run – not replacing Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires; midfielders too lightweight; squad too young and inexperienced; and jumping on the Alan Hansen bandwagon, one dimensional ie, no plan B.
While I agree with the notion that we should replace experience with experience, thing is, no one has come up with a player who can successfully slot into the Arsenal system from Day 1. it was rather unfortunate that we either had players out injured or just came back from injury against Bolton. Even so, the replacements did give them a scare.
Because of the system, it takes time for players to learn the playing style. Julio Baptista looks like he is being groomed for the central midfield role. You want muscle, you get muscle with some flair.
As for young and inexperienced, it is a delicate juggling act. Talented young and inexperienced players need games. Again, unfortunately, it would take more than just one season to properly groom a world beater. Wenger knows this. That is why his acquisition is calculated. Example, Baptista can replace Gilberto while allowing Cesc Fabregas to play or put in a rotation system so that no one player is too exhausted.
But the thing that gets me the most is Arsenal fans agreeing with Alan Hansen that Arsenal is one dimensional. Are we seriously? Or are we just very bad at finishing? I believe it is the latter. While we scream at them to shoot, is it because we think they can or is it because we are so terribly frustrated that we just hope when they do it will do a Frank Lampard and go in? Are we so desperate that results justify the means?
Don’t be a Hansen. He is as hypocritical as they come. One minute he praises teams for defending in numbers while playing for that one chance to score against Arsenal, the next he praises teams who have a go at one another. His comments and analysis are as childlish as it gets.
No one dimensional team can create the number of chances we do. No other English team can claim to play football the way we do. Many English managers take the mickey out of Arsenal when they get a result against us. Wenger has taken up so high that getting a result against us is an achievement. What many forget is that, because we stick by to our values, we are constantly challenging for the Premiership. That is why Bolton and Everton are always playing for UEFA qualification.
We can’t compete with Manure or Chelski, not yet anyway. The again, we have shown that we are above the others, if and only if, we learn to put those chances away. Our current predicament is our own undoing. If we had converted half of the numerous chances that we created, we wouldn’t be called one dimensional anymore. It seems many have forgotten we have not changed the system, just the players. And these players need time.
Let’s give them time.
Source: http://antithesis98.blogspot.com/Labels: Player
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posted by Labanon @ 8:18 PM  |
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Name: Labanon
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