Sat 11th September 2010; 15:00, Emirates Stadium
Guest Post: Coaches, Players And Teams – Weak And Strong
ByWatching Stoke eliminate Manchester City in the FA Cup last night was a reminder that every league game here on in is an elimination game. While Arsenal on paper enjoy a more comfortable run of games relative to others in the top four, one poor game could irreparably torpedo our tilt at the title.
The margin for error is perilously thin this season in particular, as illustrated by the humbling the top teams have been subjected to at various times this season. Naturally, we don’t want to be on the wrong side of that line.
Coming to personnel, I wonder if Eboue-Vermaelen-Gallas-Sagna as back-four starters would circumvent Clichy’s rustiness and serve our cause better. With the race still open, it’s too late in the season to risk allowing Clichy to find his form, especially when he’s going to be remorselessly targeted.
Watching Wayne Rooney against West Ham left me ruing the lack of an Arsenal player who can single handedly drag the team along on the strength of his success. The exceptional performances of Ronaldo and now Rooney, have enabled Manchester United – over the last few seasons at least – to escape paying the price of their flaws and injuries.
The Gunners haven’t been as lucky, and therein, to a considerable extent, lies the difference between the brides and the bridesmaids.
Talking about coaches, a friend was musing about firing Arsene Wenger and offering the job to Jose Mourinho come next season. This, if he’s to be believed, is apparently the latest expression of fan discontent doing the rounds.
Leaving aside the Wenger question, anyone still harbouring fantasies of employing Mourinho must have their heads examined. For all his success, he’s too much trouble to make the proposition worth it. His appalling narcissism, and pathological pettiness, are, in my view, too much of a price to pay for any success he might bring.
TO a degree, top managers do need to be egotists and narcissists – this isn’t a profession for delicate darlings- but there’s a limit. Mourinho clearly lives in the pale beyond that limit, and he’ll only contribute to tarnishing Arsenal’s reputation, on average, for classy conduct, regardless of his success.
Class and success can go together, though I can’t stomach abandoning the former for the latter.
In the same vein, it is heartening to see Everton, perhaps Arsenal’s twin when it comes to injuries this season, coping well. David Moyes is one for the future, and I hope they finish the season above Villa, Manchester City and of course Tottenham.
It is always a pleasure to see endeavour triumph over bad luck and strained resources, and I wish the Toffees well.
In a response to Darius’s post about Arsenal’s defensive pedigree, Flint posted very interesting stats, specially re: goal difference ratios that prima facie suggest Wenger’s record isn’t all that dramatically different.
And yet, rightly or wrongly, there’s a majority, including me, that feel we’re defensively worse off relative to that era. Nostalgia can be delusional, but I’d be loath to dismiss this view as being just that.
I’ll see if dissecting the data to reveal performances against different cohorts, say quintiles, will yield a better picture.
Here’s to three points against Stoke City.
Facts are facts, Saloner.
What I try to point out that it is not just a matter of coaching but more of time & development.
If you look at the development of the GG defence to its ulimate success of 18 goals conceded in 90/91, they were letting in a similar number of goals for the 4 season prior to that, as our current developing side are – ie in the high 30s.
I repeat people have a habit of comparing the best, finished article, from their nostalgia against the worst of the currently far from complete unit.
Having seen numerous generations through Mee, Neill, GG & now AW nouveau, I have come to realise that you will get a season where it all clicks. There is no certainty because Terry Neill’s side didn’t achieve what it could have done (but the FA Cup was big in those days), but if our current team get there they will have a much better chance of becoming THE ultimate Arsenal team of my time.
No guarantees but let’s just see how it pans out.
If Chelsea had been more clinical last night then Mourinho’s team would have had to cancel their flight to London. I wish they had been more profligate against us.
Flint.
Last night’s was a strange game when you saw Chelsea let chance by chance go begging. It just seemed like Mourinho had sussed out his old Chelsea better than Ancelotti had sussed out a changed Inter since he last left the Sansiro.
The home tie for Chelsea is likely to be more of a spectacle – and I think their bigger problem is getting Petr Cech back between the sticks for Hilario the Hilarious is just that.
Saloner. I think a lot of the folks who just simply default to the ‘we must change our manager’ mantra have been sucked into that ‘glory here and now’ and nothing else will do mentality.
I personally wouldn’t even entertain the thought of firing Wenger, let alone figuring out who will replace him. Perhaps for the simple reason that Wenger is one of the best managers in the world.
Speaking of defenses – Chelsea at times last night were made to look pretty average. They will have a tough time against Man City on Saturday who were made to look quite pedestrian by Stoke City last night
Excellent point Flint. It is true that we compare the developing article with the finished one. Something to keep in mind always.
Yes Darius, Chelsea could easily have killed and cremated Inter last night. The return leg ought to be very interesting.
Saloner -
Good post. Your point in relation with Rooney is well made. What really impresses me about the lad this season is the number of headed goals he has scored for such a butty lad. Hearing him being interviewed he specifically said that he’s been working hard on this element of his game and it certainly has been paying off in spades. Rooney apart – Utd are most average IMO and I still find it difficult to believe that they’re five points ahead even if we do have a game in hand.
Darius,
What I took from last nights game was Chelski were poor defensively with Terry being the culprit for most of the chances conceded.
Despite the fact that I do have issues with how the defense has been coached at times – anyone who suggests that Wenger be replaced needs their head examined. There is not one other manager in the world that could have achieved what he’s done here IMO.
Flint – what I find difficult is that the same mistakes at set pieces and defending aerial balls seem to be repeated for 5 years now. Although – I do accept that the new 4-3-3 push/pull formation has been a new departure and will take time to perfect.
True Joe, it is the persistence of some of these flaws that bothers me. I need to carefully look through the statistics to see if we are indeed developing, and if the pace of the development is satisfactory. Flint has opened a Pandora’s box with some telling statistics. Every instinct in me militates against his point, though instinct isn’t a sufficient guide. I’m going to look through the numbers closely and see if they do tell a tale, one way or another, after all.