Football 2010-2011

[the_hedge]

Rafa made a good point last night with regards to the fitness of Barcelona. The reason they never look tired is that they effectively only play the game in 1 half of the pitch!!

Edited March 9, 2011 by the_hedge

[eFestivals]

I don’t think Arsenal went out to win last night at all. They didn’t get men forward and camped 7 men on the edge of their box foe the entire game in the hope of grabbing a goal on the break. They didn’t get men in the box and didn’t string 4 passes together for the entire game. No shots on target.

Not saying that’s not the way to go about, if RVP stayed on or if Bendtner wasn’t such a donkey they could have nicked a goal as planned. But the game was played in Arsenals half.

Some of that at least was caused by the team Arsenal were able to put out - which wasn't as attackingly strong as it might have been if everyone was fully fit - along with the play of those players who played being not as good on the night as it might have been. While Arsenal can't get close to Barca's passing ability even at their best, there were many more poor passes from them last night than in the first game.

Wenger's not stupid enough to think that he has the players who could've defended against Barca and won the game by stopping them scoring - so Arsenal always had to score at least one goal if they were going to have a chance of going thru.

Arsenal couldn't get out of their half because they didn't play well enough to be able to get out of their half, not because they weren't trying to get out of their half.

[eFestivals]

and if they did go out to win then arsene needs to get his p45 ready. how can you go out to win and not have a shot on goal? jeezo!

Because your own team plays comparatively poorly and the other team play well enough to stop them.

He'd be as dumb as you're being in saying he should be sacked if he'd deliberately told his team to try and defend and win the game from the result from the first leg.

It's also worth pointing out that the team Barca put out last night was a formation and players which was far harder to break down than the team they'd played a few weeks ago. They'd obviously realised there was more they could do to stop Arsenal being able to play.

[ampersand]

i don't think he should be sacked. all i'm saying is those stats show you are completely incompetent as a manager if you only get 31% of the ball and 0 shots on target and claim to be winning the game. which myself and nal don't think he was.

[worm]

Rafa made a good point last night with regards to the fitness of Barcelona. The reason they never look tired is that they effectively only play the game in 1 half of the pitch!!

[worm]

i don't think he should be sacked. all i'm saying is those stats show you are completely incompetent as a manager if you only get 31% of the ball and 0 shots on target and claim to be winning the game. which myself and nal don't think he was.

Edited March 9, 2011 by worm

[eFestivals]

i don't think he should be sacked. all i'm saying is those stats show you are completely incompetent as a manager if you only get 31% of the ball and 0 shots on target and claim to be winning the game. which myself and nal don't think he was.

how much any team gets of the ball and how many shots they make is dependent both on how well your own team is playing on the day and how well the other team is playing on the day.

It's all very well believing that those stats say something meaningful, but they don't say much at all by themselves. A team could spend nearly all of a match kicking the ball backwards and forwards between defenders and the goalie and have fantastic stats.

As it is, we all know that Barca are a fantastic team and that Arsenal - or anyone else - don't get close to them. Yes, other teams could have approached the games in different ways, but in 90%+ of those cases the match would have been done and dusted before it got the 2nd leg. It's precisely because Arsenal didn't set out to defend (if they had done they'd have used some different players to the ones they used last night) that the stats are as they are.

[worm]

how much any team gets of the ball and how many shots they make is dependent both on how well your own team is playing on the day and how well the other team is playing on the day.

It's all very well believing that those stats say something meaningful, but they don't say much at all by themselves. A team could spend nearly all of a match kicking the ball backwards and forwards between defenders and the goalie and have fantastic stats.

As it is, we all know that Barca are a fantastic team and that Arsenal - or anyone else - don't get close to them. Yes, other teams could have approached the games in different ways, but in 90%+ of those cases the match would have been done and dusted before it got the 2nd leg. It's precisely because Arsenal didn't set out to defend (if they had done they'd have used some different players to the ones they used last night) that the stats are as they are.

[ampersand]

It's precisely because Arsenal didn't set out to defend (if they had done they'd have used some different players to the ones they used last night) that the stats are as they are.

[eFestivals]

i know you can get less than 31% possesion but can you get negative shots on target?

and i know the stats don't say much by themselves. but we all saw the game, they are an accompaniment to the 90 minutes we watched.

did you watch the game thinking "this is typical Arsenal, they can't ever play better than they are doing"?

It was only typical Arsenal in that they can't defend. It was un-typical in that their forward play wasn't up to the standard that we know it can be.

Yet it doesn't take a team of Barca's strength for Arsenal to play poorly with their attacking side - they've been pretty much as duff as they were last night for that sided of their game in other games this season, some of which have been against the more lowly Prem sides. That's Arsenal as they are, that's not them setting out to defend.

If last night had been about defending they'd have played Eboue and Denilson from the start, or at least put them on as subs. Neither happened.

[ralph250]

It's also worth pointing out that the team Barca put out last night was a formation and players which was far harder to break down than the team they'd played a few weeks ago. They'd obviously realised there was more they could do to stop Arsenal being able to play.

[Steve P]

Christ Ampers, did Wenger rape your Mum whilst simulaneously drowning your cat or something? Your bitterness towards him is amazing at times, makes me laugh.

As i've said our performance and the result wasn't down to the ref but the players. Fabregas and Van Persie obviously both declared themsleves fit when obviously neither really was. It was a gamble that backfired. Add to that the lack of Song protecting the back 4 and you can begin to see why we ended up playing so deep. No excuses though, we were beaten soundly by a much better side.

The real test for Wengers management begins on Saturday. It's importance for United and Arsenal now can't be overstated. He's got to get the team back up for it, and the sence of injustice over the sending off might be the one bright spot to take from last nights game if he can use it to fire them all up. I pray he can.

[ralph250]

Yes, other teams could have approached the games in different ways, but in 90%+ of those cases the match would have been done and dusted before it got the 2nd leg.

[worm]

Granted they play in 1 half a lot but they make up for it with the constant off the ball movement to retain possession. They do tire at times in the late game imo and its when they're at their most vulnerable if you're still in it at that time.

[ralph250]

Christ Ampers, did Wenger rape your Mum whilst simulaneously drowning your cat or something? Your bitterness towards him is amazing at times, makes me laugh.

As i've said our performance and the result wasn't down to the ref but the players. Fabregas and Van Persie obviously both declared themsleves fit when obviously neither really was. It was a gamble that backfired. Add to that the lack of Song protecting the back 4 and you can begin to see why we ended up playing so deep. No excuses though, we were beaten soundly by a much better side.

The real test for Wengers management begins on Saturday. It's importance for United and Arsenal now can't be overstated. He's got to get the team back up for it, and the sence of injustice over the sending off might be the one bright spot to take from last nights game if he can use it to fire them all up. I pray he can.

[Gre]

At least there was a worse red-card decision last night than RVP. Sent off for tackling a pitch-invader

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12682897

http://www.dorchestertownfc.co.uk/news/2011/march/08-1.shtml

[ampersand]

Christ Ampers, did Wenger rape your Mum whilst simulaneously drowning your cat or something? Your bitterness towards him is amazing at times, makes me laugh.

[The Nal]

he's just a cretin. and very well respected. it annoys me. his selective vision is unreal and telling guardiola to go and congratulate the ref then having a spat with him in the tunnel just sums him up for me.

[ampersand]

Show me a great manager whos a good loser. There never has been. Fergie, whos the greatest of all time in my opinion, is as bad. You have to accept that top level managers are capable of being total c**ts. All of them.

[worm]

show me a great manager who has 5 trophyless seasons and counting for a well resourced team.

[Steve P]

yeah but it's universally accepted that ferguson is. the same can't be said for wenger. as i say, he is well respected in every way as far as i can see.

show me a great manager who has 5 trophyless seasons and counting for a well resourced team.

[worm]

Show me a great manager whos a good loser. There never has been. Fergie, whos the greatest of all time in my opinion, is as bad. You have to accept that top level managers are capable of being total c**ts. All of them.

Edited March 9, 2011 by worm

[ampersand]

What resources are these then mate? We've spent hundreds of millions on a new stadium, and have sold top players every season for the past 6 years to balance the books (apart from last summer), whilst others have spent fortunes, and yet we've still managed to stay competitive. If we win nothing for the next 5 years then i'd agree with you that Wenger had failed, but IMO that he's kept our team in the top 4 whilst being a selling club for 5 years is a great achievement.

[worm]

You don't like brand Arsenal Ampers because it's strong and popular. It's strong and popular for a reason. That reason is Wenger.

[ampersand]

You don't like brand Arsenal Ampers because it's strong and popular. It's strong and popular for a reason. That reason is Wenger.