Back to Basics and nothing Sub-Standard
ByIf Wenger needs help with the team talk tonight, a few headlines from the Sunday papers and the comments of Laszlo Boloni, Standard Liege’s Romanian manager may be worth pinning on the tactics board.
Tonight’s game is significant for several reasons; as it’s firstly an opportunity to get back on the horse after the indifferent performance at the Stadium of Light over the weekend, and secondly, to slam the door shut on any team in our group with designs of that top spot for the Champions league knock out stages. There is also the small matter of how the Belgians bum rushed us in a mad 5 minutes at the beginning of match day 1 on their turf. It’ll be important to show that such sloppiness (shown on match day 1) will not be tolerated.
Naturally, many Arsenal fans (and the players I might add) want to erase the memory of our adventure this past weekend up north, and this CL fixture provides a good enough distraction. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, and the worst thing the team can do is illustrate the same character as they did on Saturday, by assuming that they will win by just turning up for the match.
This attitude is perhaps a growing frustration by many fans, and is aptly articulated in one of my previous articles (Sunderland’s Darren leaves Arsenal’s noses Bent) – by Joe,a fellow fan that I’ve had numerous discussions with about our performance.
Joe says:
“Darius, I can actually relate to how your weekend descends on the back of a defeat like that. But I do get frustrated. It really gets to me because we’ve been doing so many things right, yet we get the basics wrong”.
“And though you might not believe me, I am a patient person by nature, but this is now the 5th year that I have seen the very same mistakes being made, and the same repetitive sound bites excusing them”.
“It’s not that we need to win that irks me so much. Its more than that. It’s the fact that we’re not being true to our own talent. It’s one thing to lose a match knowing that you’ve busted a gut and were unlucky, or at the receiving end of a bad referee, or just that the other team was better. But it’s quite another to see more talented players sit by and choke as if they’d done enough just to turn up! While there are always a few exceptions to the rule – our lads lack that application to consistently graft, to refuse to lie down, to bleed week in – week out. You can have all the talent in the world, but it ultimately counts for nothing unless the attitude is right”.
You know, I actually find it hard to argue with Joe, as there are times that the team is frustrating. I tend to be more patient and philosophical about things once the cold light of day has provided some distance and perspective between a defeat and the reflection that naturally happens afterwards. My friend Yogi’s Warrior perhaps takes a more balanced and positive view as I do by reminding us that “one result in
November a season does not make”
I suppose we have to find a balance between being realistic and positive as the season goes, and accepting that the team has to show steady progress by not succumbing to the same mistakes that we’ve seen. Once is a mistake, twice a coincidence, but making the same mistake three times or more is a pattern. The performance at Sunderland was almost predictable, but if it serves the purpose of keeping a lit fire under our arses, then it would be a valuable lesson in our journey, despite the frustration it brings.
Boloni may simply be trying to inspire his team to chase the faint hope of qualification either to the next round or to the Europa league – so it’s sensible not to try and dissect his remarks about Arsenal’s short-comings and our inability to be considered an elite European club. Nonetheless, his comments will make some inspirational reading for our lads on the Arsenal tactics board.
My sense is that Wenger will give some players the chance to redeem themselves after Saturday and keep his options open with substitutes. He will want to give a couple of players some more match time before the battle with our friends from down Kings road this weekend. Home advantage is in our favour, and there will be no excuse for not grabbing qualification to the next round with top spot as a prize. My prediction for the starting line-up is:
Almunia
Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Gibbs
Song, Nasri, Fabregas
Rosicky, Eduardo, Arshavin
Subs: Fabianski, Eboue, Silvestre, Denilson, Ramsey, Walcott, Vela.
I can see Vela and Walcott coming in at some point especially to provide pace and width if needed, and Denilson to shore up the midfield and defensive resources.
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Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund
Very good piece Darius. Whatever Boloni says is a whole load of Balonis & Bullocks. No one need care about his comments except the boys using it as a weapon to flog his wards of the park. A 2 or 3 goal advantage will do us absolutely fine.
LRV. The news wires are focussing on the fact that Wenger has publicly noted to his team that nothing short of a win is acceptable tonight. Top spot in our group is the only prize.
I think that the players are also keen to show fans and the manager that they’re heeding the call against complacency.
It’ll be a good game tonight.
“yet we get the basics wrong”
The biggest problem over the last 4 seasons is that of treating every match the same, regardless of whom we are playing. The same effort & concentration has to go in whether we are playing Man U or Brentford.
We fans are even more guilty, at times expecting the 4-0s, but the players are professionals being paid an extravagant amount of money to do, as AW said, their jobs.
I would certainly not accuse any of our players for lack of effort but there are times, when you feel something is being held back on a team basis.
Cesc, as skipper, & fulcrum of the team has a big responsibility here.
I would like to see Vela get a full game tonight. It would not be a bad thing if Arshavin has something to prove, on Sunday.