Aah, Paul Robinson. The Arsenal fans favourite goalkeeper
FA Cup time once more as Blackburn Rovers provide the opposition for the ninth time in this competition. The Lancastrians have scored just once in their five previous visits to the one true part of north London, the most recent of which ended goalless at The Emirates almost six years ago to the day. Benni McCarthy grabbed the winner six minutes from time in the replay at Ewood Park as Arsenal’s trophy drought extended into its second season. Mart Poom on the bench? Players we forget as having passed through the doors, a bit like Jim Leighton’s shortlived spell at Arsenal.
On their descent into the Championship, Blackburn were trounced 7 – 1 in the Premier League here last season en route to relegation but that will not prey on Arsenal minds, barely even remembered. Arsène was keen to point out that the match will be taken seriously, preparations will be thorough as if this were the Final to prevent a recurrence of the League Cup exit at Bradford. Of course there is the chance to rectify matters should a replay be required, a subject which taxes minds at the Football Association as their premier competition moves towards a straight knockout tournament.
Eschewing return matches is contentious; smaller clubs who have defended stoutly for 90 minutes would rightly argue that they deserve a payday and the chance for glory. Money for the owners, heroism the players; the former can be solved by changing the revenue split on matchdays with Premier League clubs offering up 50% of any home tie, the latter a tougher problem to solve which is perhaps why the FA have made FA effort to deal with it. To do so removes some chance of upsets upon which the Cup has thrived for nearly a century and a half. Yet this tie proves the problem for managers in Wenger’s position; a replay would bisect the two legs against Bayern Munich. Taking a lead to Bavaria would to my mind put him in the position of resting key players for a domestic cup tie; as he observed, get past Bayern and the possibility of winning the trophy gets closer.
Which dovetails into today’s game. Injuries to key personnel last weekend will surely dominate his thoughts. I cannot bring forward any justification for risking either Wilshere or Koscielny for this match, even if they pass a fitness test. We have enough depth in the squad to fill their positions, even without relying on Sebastian Squillaci. A natural caution ought to apply, especially in Wilshere’s case with over 500 days out of the squad following his previous injury; it cannot be worth the risk,
Not just the injured either, there is strength to the argument that Cazorla dropping to the bench with Walcott would be a viable option today. The danger here is that too many changes are made. Ordinarily this fixture is one that Jenkinson would have been pencilled in for; his suspension put paid to that. Coquelin could slot in at right back if Bacary Sagna is needed centrally or given a rest but I doubt that will happen with Ignasi Miquel surely coming in to partner Per Mertesacker at the heart of the defence. Too many changes in the rest of the team
Midfield offers the toughest choice. Abou Diaby and Aaron Ramsey seem certain starters, so who to accompany them. In Cazorla’s absence, the return of Little Mozart to the pitch is most likely, offering the flair and spirit to make play waft across the Emirates turf effortlessly. After his pivotal role in last season’s charge to third place, this campaign must have been hugely frustrating for the Czech international. He might reasonably have supposed that Cazorla would take the pivotal playmaking role but injuries once more blighted any hope of domestic cup and substitute appearances. This afternoon will perhaps change that?
The line-up I expect Arsenal to start with is:
Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Miquel, Monreal; Diaby, Ramsey, Rosicky; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Podolski
Perhaps Arsène will bit the bullet and include Coquelin at right back with Arshavin on the left. It seems a risk for what many consider to be the club’s one real chance of silverware this season but with the Champions League tie against Bayern on Tuesday night, you would not blame him for resting as many players as possible. Putting some on the bench offers the opportunity to rectify any shortcomings if they emerge. Even with changes, Arsenal have enough quality to progress to the next round.
Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it.
’til Tomorrow.
He can’t have meant it literally. Besides I wouldn’t give much importance to his words for the media after a loss like that.
The comments section went to the fucking dogs. Thank heavens for people like Anicoll, Harry, and Birdkamp. JJ sarcastically banging on about Gervinho pisses me the fuck off to no end. And people wonder why we’ve been so crap at the Emirates in recent times. Shite, entitled fucking brats everywhere you turn.
Get a grip loomer,, we been crap because we have no idea how to play football not because of the fucking fans… Its tossers like you that should check your loyalties.. because its not to Arsenal football club thats for sure. Not if the shit thats been on display the last few years does not make you sit up and say : hey what the fuck is going on with our club ” You sir are the crap supporter.
To blame the crowd for that inept performance is effing pathetic. We put out a reasonably strong team. Those guys had the capability to beat Bburn. The fact of the matter is that we didnt create too many real goal scoring opportunities; stats may say otherwise; just match the match. We had a lot of possession, but it was sterile. I really don’t think the players didnt have the desire. It is the same age old problem. We just don’t know how to break down bus-parking opponents. I was surprised by AW taking off Rosicky, the only player who was driving the team forward. Should’ve taken off Diaby who was struggling, in my opinion. Having seen a lot of such blunt performances this season, I feel the blame should be laid at the feet of AW and coaching staff. I just dont think AW is the man to lead us forward. Looks like his ideas are no longer working.
The boos at the end were totally deserved. No one can expect the fans to be signing praises after that crap performance.
Hear Hear
Oh well. Pretty disappointing result.
It seems whenever there’s some record we’ve had for x decades, we find a way to break it.
It’s true that cup games often toss up wierd and unexpected results just like this one. It’s been happening to top teams at unexpected times for years.
However, the weird results, keepers having blinders, the ref being poor, the pitch being bad, oppo defenders parking the bus, etc etc etc, have been happening to OUR team far too often and far too long for this all to be a plausible excuse any more.
For us it’s no longer wierd results at unexpected times, it’s becoming a little too often to be described like that now.
No doubt some desperate soul will tell me that this is the first in 16 years. Sorry, that’s deflecting the point about Bradford, Norwich, Birmigham, etc etc etc, its not only about this or other cup games, it’s the package as a whole. In isolation any one game can be explained. However, it’s not just one or two in isolation, and hasn’t been for some time.
Was the team selected good enough to win comfortably? On paper, yes, I’d say so.
Perhaps, as I’ve mentioned before (just to give a nod to the consistency thing so beloved by some), the rotation planning is poor? Often it seems to be all or nothing, I.e. too many at any one time. Several years ago I thought we were developing two completely different teams, one for domestic cups and another for league and UCL. Would have been a stroke of genius if we’d kept the quality of the entire squad up I guess?
Whatever it is, it’s happening way too often and with completely different players. The whole does not perform as the sum of it’s parts, never mind exceeding that, and it’s been getting steadily worse, season after season. It’s been a gradual decline but its also gently accelerating.
What is interesting to note is different people’s reaction to disappointment.
I think the more reasoned types look for answers. Those less so resort to slagging off, be it particular players, the manager, or, in exactly the same manner as those, the other fans.
I’ve come to realize that those coming on here having a go at other fans for ostensibly not supporting the manager because they’re asking questions are just showing their own anger and frustration by channeling it in a different direction. Instead of asking why the club, manager, players etc keep on making the same mistakes, they prefer to tell other fans they’re “spoilt”, or “poor fans”, or “not needed”, or “should be supporting the manager and team through good or bad”.
All that’s true, but only to a degree. Mistakes are very often tolerated, as long as they are learnt from.
Making the same mistakes however, and not appearing to rectify them, not just once or twice, but season after season, that IS going to generate questions, and so it should. At that point, blind faith is not just stupid, it borders on insanity. Nevertheless, for a while I can see that it’s just the same disappointment being expressed differently and blame and anger being channeled in another direction. After a while though, just like the team making the same mistakes, game after game, season after season, it does start wearing a little thin.
That’s why some of that type of poster aren’t around any more.
I desperately hope Wenger can turn this around. Ferguson was in a similar position several seasons back, but he turned it around. The difference is I think he was able to adapt once he saw he had a problem. So far it’s taken Wenger a lot longer, and either he can’t see the problem, or he doesn’t seem to know how to fix it.
I think it’s a fairly reasonable stance to take that the difference between Manu and Arsenal seems to be the determination and drive to win. Up till now, even considering my Arsenal tinted glasses, I haven’t seen a huge difference in quality between the sides in terms of personnel. The difference n performances however, has been growing. Why would that be?
Getting back to the whole support thing, I mentioned earlier in the season that the waiting list seems to be shrinking quite dramatically. So while the manager issue might not be a democratically determined position, it certainly will be a commercially determined one, so maybe not this season, but if it continues this way, certainly within another season or two, this board will start panicking as the attendance money dwindles, and then, if he hasn’t left already, the manager will pay the price.
Actually, I think this boils down to a simple question.
How many were:
A. Shocked by yesterday’s result
B. Disappointed by yesterday’s result.
If the answer is “B”, and I suspect it is for the vast majority if they are being honest, it pretty much days it all about the club, the team, the manager, and the customer base.
That’s the mentality of a mid-table team. How long before our league status starts to reflect our mental state?
Not too long unless something changes IMO.
Agree with that, Mike.
Disappointed and disappointing.
Plenty of questions, few answers.
So, we have a manager who:
- has been talking the whole week about Bavaria;
- who decided to play a weakened squad;
- who was not bothered to make any tactical changes during the game;
- who thought 20 minutes would be enough to turn this around;
- who does not have a clue why we lost because he did all the usual right things during the preparation.
And you are telling me that it’s the players who are complacent?
Very well put Mike.
Clearly Blackburn don’t have the quality on paper to beat Arsenal and certainly not at the Emirates.
The commentators made a case for the fact that Blackburn were a Premiership team last season who hadn’t lost too many players in the drop, but let’s not forget they were a team who lost 7-1 at the Emirates. So what beat us had to be the tactics used and its a bit of a worry that Mike Appleton and Phil Parkinson have both beaten Arsene Wenger this season. It was their players on the field who provided the perspiration, but surely it was the inspiration that actually did for us.
And that is my real concern, AW appears to need help in his tactical planning both before and during games. Maybe he has it but just chooses to ignore it, without knowing what is actually going on within the club its impossible to tell. Clearly the game plan for yesterday was to go out and play our game and when that wasn’t working there appeared to be no one from the coaching staff who knew how to change it.
It’s ridiculous to claim (or imply) that AW was out thought in either of these cup defeats.
It does not take a lot of thinking to outthink Arsene nowadays.
- You need some basic defending organisation.
- You do not care about Arsenal’s corners.
- You start wasting time from the very start.
- You know that you need one or two shots on target to score.
For the opposition managers, it’s not really about thinking. It’s about experience. They know that with parking the bus even championship sides will have a chance at our home.
Astonishing is that every time it seems to catch Arsene by surprise.
Fascinating stuff.
what IS fascinating is that there are still some numbers of people that fail to notice what SV has listed…
that, and a few other things…
It may be hard to stomach, Al, but SV makes a fair argument.
the game yesterday was all too typical: all petting, no penetration, subs at the customary ’70 minute or thereabouts’ mark, subbing our best player and upping it a gear only when we conceded a goal…
rinse, repeat…
Wenger Out
and while we are at it, Kroenke Out as well, he has proven to be anything but a Stanley knife here, a blunt object, more like!
someone said he’d hate for us to become a billionaire plaything, it’s funny how he failed to notice how we are one already, it’s just that the current billionaire is still at the stage of playing by earning money rather than spending it, therefore we can prepare for more of the same until he is gone…
Club.com’s MOTM: Tomas Rosicky 48% ..followed by Coq & Nacho @ 11%. each.
Things might be too cerebral.
Loomer
February 17, 2013 at 12:56 am
The comments section went to the fucking dogs. Thank heavens for people like Anicoll, Harry, and Birdkamp. JJ sarcastically banging on about Gervinho pisses me the fuck off to no end. And people wonder why we’ve been so crap at the Emirates in recent times. Shite, entitled fucking brats everywhere you turn.
———————-
Thank heavens for people who share the same opinion as you? Lord.
I fully support the manager and the players but my personal opinion isn’t one of Wenger in or Wenger out, I just want what’s best for my fucking club – there are clear and obvious mistakes and issues at the club which are now taking us backwards rather than simply treading water, it doesn’t make you an entitled brat to simply acknowledge those problems and express an opinion on them – some of us just hold different opinions on the club to you, as a grown up you need to accept people will have different opinions and not lash out at them for it. Argue against peoples points if you disagree with them.
That photo of Jack sitting on his heels at the end of the game yesterday is one of all Arsenal fans right now, as an emblem of our future I hope that disappointment doesn’t cut too deep in the psyche.
@suga3 i think “everyone out” is more apropriate. nobody did their job yesterday. very few have done their job this year. And those that have has not been good enough…..
Even the fans have been poo this year. we been poo all over, from top leadership, via manager to coaches via first team players to fringe players, u 21 players, u 18 players. Did the washing lady do a good job this year?
Even we, the fans have been bad.
Everything has been bad..
Bleh, i give up.
unless we win the CL there is one word that can sum up the season this year.
BAD.
I do think this has been our worst year since year 2000. For the last 8 years even Birmingham and porthmout can show to more cups than we got..lol
The problem being that if you rely on Gervinho who is lacking form and confidence and just back from ACN, and the OX, who is still learning, and you take out creativity down the middle in Santi and Jack. Who is going to create chances for Giroud.
Mike raised this point well, that we made too many changes, too much focus on Tuesday night, The FA cup should have been taken much more seriously, we don’t have the squad to take teams like Blackburn for granted. And without winning domestic cups (the title is too far for us) how are we to build a team of winners?
Today’s post has arrived:
http://www.aclfarsenal.co.uk/?p=10626