There is no crisis at Arsenal. Having been predicted to drop out of the top four in the summer, there is no question that any rational Arsenal fan, would have grabbed our current league position with two hands, having followed two seasons of toying with Tottenham in fourth place mediocrity. Yet, as fatigue, injuries amongst other things set in; it is our formation that is not bringing the best performances out of the team, not shown by our recent collection of league points this winter.
This defensive formation, while it suited us last year, as it gave Cesc physical support in the midfield to counter the rougher sides, he rarely made the runs he does this year, and Hleb there inhibits the space in which he can operate as does the aggressive Flamini who closes down so early Cesc isn't in any position to play the pass; the 4-5-1 worked with Gilberto last year, who was passive in his role. Furthermore Rosicky has a tendency to cut in, and while this is typical of a fluid style, it further congests the midfield. Eboue on the opposite flank has shown a lack of spontaneity in his play, consistently looking for the one-two instead of opening his mind into better options. Instead, two strikers pressure the opposition defence to be wary all the time, and give more freedom to the midfield. It also spatially covers the most ground on the pitch, rendering it most effective.
In a 4-4-2 Adebayor can run the channels and pull out wide as his strike partner, normally Van Persie, would stay central or move to the right flank. If one comes short, the other will hang on the shoulder of the last defender in a bid to split the central defensive pairing. Therefore it would make sense in a 4-5-1 that the lone striker stays central, and if not directly involved in the play, can affect the opposition with his mere presence. At Portsmouth, Adebayor pulled wide (in an attempt to allow midfield runners, who surprisingly had poor movement), and on many occasions inadvertently blocked Clichy’s forward run, who then was forced to play it back (similar to this was Eboue running directly ahead of Sagna’s run, making his intentions crystal clear and thus ending the attack). On other occasions, he received the ball short, when pulling away to the far post was the better option. When pulling wide was the correct option, the wrong man made the forward run into space, and this can be put down to pure luck as Fabregas’ touch let him down. We created two chances in the final few minutes with two strikers on the pitch, both of which should have led to goals, but instead led to injury to the captain and then a bewildered look from our Czech playmaker.
At the beginning of the season, Arsenal were frustrated at home by Fulham, until Bendtner came on late in the game, and provided a greater attacking presence, coupled with Van Persie and Hleb, who won the game right at the death. Therefore this is not a criticism of any Arsenal striker but more so of the formation employed by Wenger, a great tactician perhaps slightly flawed by his reluctance to change formation. Our game is based on intuition, fitness and concentration in manipulating the ball, and if influential players are off form, then it reflects on the whole performance, especially in a formation not bringing out the best in the team as a whole. There are many examples of world-class strikers struggling as a lone forward, with Torres in his later years at Atletico, being criticised for his contribution, when his lack of supply formed statistics shaped against his talent. Drogba only blossomed at Chelsea when played with a partner, and with Rooney shown to be lacking in discipline when leading the line alone, this point shows a clear pattern.
Credit must be given to Portsmouth; they gave a master-class into defending against Arsenal. They squeezed the midfield, reducing our fluency, and sat back, when the ball was on the flanks. It would have been a great escape, as Benjani nearly stole a goal, yet fortunately his touch was too heavy past Almunia, allowing the impressive Clichy to clear away. It occurred because Toure abandoned his position and tried to play in midfield and add urgency to our game, but only succeeded in further congesting the area. Furthermore our last two winners in the Premiership have come as a result of poor defending from the opposition. Put Cech’s error down to pure luck (unless it is the beginning of an unthinkable dip in form) and Spurs, well it was bound to happen. Both corners taken by Fabregas were in the area where the keeper normally collects as shown by James on many occasions on Boxing Day, yet inept Spurs’ defending and an uncharacteristic gaffe from a world class keeper allowed us to win both games.
Earlier in the season, Wenger admitted his error in playing the 4-5-1 against Manchester United, yet he continues to adopt this formation. Possession of the ball is vial in Arsenal’s game and the 4-5-1 helps this along with coping with a physical threat, yet it reduces our attacking potential in the final third, although by no means is it a defensive formation. As it reduces attacking options, i.e. bodies (in the optimum position) to pass to, the players have limited options and on many occasions have played the wrong option, or have been unable to execute the correct one (see Adebayor’s attempted slide-rule pass to Toure at Anfield). This compounds frustration in the players. On the other hand, it can highlight the efficiency of some of our play, in taking one chance out of a few, though not at Fratton Park.
The statistics however, do not lie. We have played the 4-5-1 in 15 games of a possible 28 and have scored a disappointingly low 9 goals, with a measly 0.6 goals scored per game. In contrast, we have scored a huge 31 goals in the 13 games that we played 4-42. This gives a ratio of 2.38 goals per game. This includes every fixture we have played this season, and so shows the 4-4-2’s played excluding Van Persie (although he is hugely important in our game, it shows that we have played a 4-4-2 based on the opposition and not entirely on the personnel available) too, a clear example of which is the 7-0 demolition of Slavia Prague, with Adebayor and Walcott, as the forward pairing. As pure statistics, these do not look at injuries or suspensions, form (as clearly the win over Slavia had the whole team on form, while the Middlesbrough game away had a depleted side). Nor do they look at the quality of the opposition.
Therefore, while this is one of many articles on our minute drop in form, all show that a return to 4-4-2 is needed, as are some fresh legs through rotation. Yet with extremely busy period coming up, rest for some of our first team stars looks like a rare prospect. Also, having gained 7 points in our last three games, when two are tough London derbies and the other against a side who have now only let in one goal in their last five premiership home games, we appear to have come through well, without playing too well (the mark of strong team spirit and belief). The comparison to Man Utd is not needed, they are the champions, have spent close to £100 million in the summer, and have potentially the best player in the world in Ronaldo.
We are in the early stages of developing the third generation under Wenger. If we can continue to achieve results as we have done so far and as the players gain even more experience, we can become something special. This is just the beginning. Let us hope the team perform at Everton tomorrow (and hopefully play in a 4-4-2!).
Friday, 28 December 2007
The 20 Greatest Defeats Of All Time (No. 5-1)
And here it is… the top five defeats in the history of football. And what better place for all of these to occur on the biggest stage there is: the World Cup. Controversy, huge upsets and national pride being battered…
Chile 2-0 Italy 1962 World Cup Group 2
‘Good evening. The game you are about to see is the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game’. These were the words used to introduce the Battle of Santiago by BBC presenter David Coleman. Tensions ran high due to two Italian journalists (Antonio Ghiredelli and Corrado Pizzinelli – and both had to leave the country before the game) describing earthquake-stricken Chile in a deriding manner. The first foul came eight seconds after kick-off. The first sending off came eight minutes later. Next came a kick in the neck, soon followed by a broken nose. More scuffles, spitting occurred and the police had to repeatedly intervene during the came, such as escorting Giorgio Ferrini off the pitch after eight minutes. Late goals by Ramirez and Toro sealed Chile’s revenge against the Italians.
Argentina 2-1 England 1986 World Cup Quarter Final
Mention this defeat to any Englishman and it is a guarantee that Diego Maradona will be the first words out of his mouth. Forget the controversy from the ‘Hand of God’ goal or the individual excellence of the dribble (both were recently imitated by Leo Messi, one of the endless line of heirs to the legend himself). The background behind the defeat surrounding the dispute over the Falklands islands in 1982 between the two countries in question. The most recent invasion of British territory caused a strong rivalry that affected the viewpoints of the public in both countries. Thus Maradona claimed ‘Whoever robs a thief gets a 100-year pardon’, a popular Spanish saying, which is seen as a justification by Maradona as a retaliation against the British for the war four years previous.
Hungary 2- 3 West Germany 1954 World Cup Final
‘Das Wunder von Bern’. The Miracle of Bern saw the Germans pitted against the ‘Mighty Magyars’. Unbeaten in their previous 32 games, lead by a strike-force of Puskas and Hidegkuti, they had previously defeated England at Wembley 6-3, becoming the first non-UK team to do so at the famous stadium. They won 7-1 in the return game in Budapest. Legendary coach Josef Herberger was famous for conjuring up phrases such as ‘The ball is round and the game lasts for 90 minutes’, played his reserves that lost 8-3 in the first round. The Hungarians raced into a two goal lead in the first 8 minutes, through the unfit Puskas and Czibor. The Germans, playing with Adidas’s revolutionary removable studs, had an advantage in the ‘Fritz Walter’ (rainy) weather, named after their star player, whose best performances came ironically against the literary idea of pathetic fallacy. A film was released almost 50 years later in 2003, to commemorate the victory and it signifying the change in German society purging it from the sin of the Nazi regime. Helmut Rahn, featured in the film named: ‘Das Wunder von Bern’, scored twice in the final, and the winner caused Herbert Zimmermann to scream ‘Tor! Tor! Tor! Tor!’ followed by an eight second gap, before the celebrations continued.
Brazil 1-2 Uruguay 1950 World Cup Final
Another day… it was earlier in history but equally important in shaping another country’s mentality through football. Having taken victory for granted, after seeing the team, led by Ademir, an outstanding forward, defeat rivals, who adopted the WM formation, they were surprised when Uruguay appeared in the final with an attacking mentality and a formation that was equal to Brazil’s attacking play. The Europeans, were awestruck by Brazil, and before letting in the first goal so were Uruguay, but words from their captain inspired the team to victory. The goal by Ghiggia in the 79th minute, after shooting at the near post, rather than crossing as he did for his team’s first goal, caught out Barbosa, who dived too late. ‘The Fateful Goal’ silenced the 199,954 Brazilians in the Maracanã. It ruined celebrations, prepared, such as the golden medals with the players’ names on it, the speech in Portuguese Jules Rimet had prepared and amongst other things, it prompted a thorough post mortem into the defeat.
Germany 2-1 Holland 1974 World Cup Final
Possibly the greatest team to never win the World Cup, the Dutch raced into an early lead with a Neeskens penalty, but rather than adding to their lead, played a taunting style of possession football, perhaps in retaliation to Nazi oppressors in the second world war to which their opponents on the day had no relation to. This angered the Germans, who came back as the first half progressed, perhaps because Cruyff, in an attempt to find space and be released from Berti Vogts shackles, played too deep and lost his influence upon proceedings. The game was also a tale of two penalties, both given by the English referee Taylor, the first, a correct one, the second was given after simulation by Holzenbein, perhaps influenced by Beckenbauer’s words to Taylor (perhaps in another reference to the war): ‘You are an Englishman’. The Dutch played their usual unique style in the second half but could break down a rearguard action lead by ‘Der Kaiser’ Beckenbauer, leaving July 7th 1974 as the day when every Dutchman remembers where there were, mourning the ‘Lost Final’.
Chile 2-0 Italy 1962 World Cup Group 2
‘Good evening. The game you are about to see is the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game’. These were the words used to introduce the Battle of Santiago by BBC presenter David Coleman. Tensions ran high due to two Italian journalists (Antonio Ghiredelli and Corrado Pizzinelli – and both had to leave the country before the game) describing earthquake-stricken Chile in a deriding manner. The first foul came eight seconds after kick-off. The first sending off came eight minutes later. Next came a kick in the neck, soon followed by a broken nose. More scuffles, spitting occurred and the police had to repeatedly intervene during the came, such as escorting Giorgio Ferrini off the pitch after eight minutes. Late goals by Ramirez and Toro sealed Chile’s revenge against the Italians.
Argentina 2-1 England 1986 World Cup Quarter Final
Mention this defeat to any Englishman and it is a guarantee that Diego Maradona will be the first words out of his mouth. Forget the controversy from the ‘Hand of God’ goal or the individual excellence of the dribble (both were recently imitated by Leo Messi, one of the endless line of heirs to the legend himself). The background behind the defeat surrounding the dispute over the Falklands islands in 1982 between the two countries in question. The most recent invasion of British territory caused a strong rivalry that affected the viewpoints of the public in both countries. Thus Maradona claimed ‘Whoever robs a thief gets a 100-year pardon’, a popular Spanish saying, which is seen as a justification by Maradona as a retaliation against the British for the war four years previous.
Hungary 2- 3 West Germany 1954 World Cup Final
‘Das Wunder von Bern’. The Miracle of Bern saw the Germans pitted against the ‘Mighty Magyars’. Unbeaten in their previous 32 games, lead by a strike-force of Puskas and Hidegkuti, they had previously defeated England at Wembley 6-3, becoming the first non-UK team to do so at the famous stadium. They won 7-1 in the return game in Budapest. Legendary coach Josef Herberger was famous for conjuring up phrases such as ‘The ball is round and the game lasts for 90 minutes’, played his reserves that lost 8-3 in the first round. The Hungarians raced into a two goal lead in the first 8 minutes, through the unfit Puskas and Czibor. The Germans, playing with Adidas’s revolutionary removable studs, had an advantage in the ‘Fritz Walter’ (rainy) weather, named after their star player, whose best performances came ironically against the literary idea of pathetic fallacy. A film was released almost 50 years later in 2003, to commemorate the victory and it signifying the change in German society purging it from the sin of the Nazi regime. Helmut Rahn, featured in the film named: ‘Das Wunder von Bern’, scored twice in the final, and the winner caused Herbert Zimmermann to scream ‘Tor! Tor! Tor! Tor!’ followed by an eight second gap, before the celebrations continued.
Brazil 1-2 Uruguay 1950 World Cup Final
Another day… it was earlier in history but equally important in shaping another country’s mentality through football. Having taken victory for granted, after seeing the team, led by Ademir, an outstanding forward, defeat rivals, who adopted the WM formation, they were surprised when Uruguay appeared in the final with an attacking mentality and a formation that was equal to Brazil’s attacking play. The Europeans, were awestruck by Brazil, and before letting in the first goal so were Uruguay, but words from their captain inspired the team to victory. The goal by Ghiggia in the 79th minute, after shooting at the near post, rather than crossing as he did for his team’s first goal, caught out Barbosa, who dived too late. ‘The Fateful Goal’ silenced the 199,954 Brazilians in the Maracanã. It ruined celebrations, prepared, such as the golden medals with the players’ names on it, the speech in Portuguese Jules Rimet had prepared and amongst other things, it prompted a thorough post mortem into the defeat.
Germany 2-1 Holland 1974 World Cup Final
Possibly the greatest team to never win the World Cup, the Dutch raced into an early lead with a Neeskens penalty, but rather than adding to their lead, played a taunting style of possession football, perhaps in retaliation to Nazi oppressors in the second world war to which their opponents on the day had no relation to. This angered the Germans, who came back as the first half progressed, perhaps because Cruyff, in an attempt to find space and be released from Berti Vogts shackles, played too deep and lost his influence upon proceedings. The game was also a tale of two penalties, both given by the English referee Taylor, the first, a correct one, the second was given after simulation by Holzenbein, perhaps influenced by Beckenbauer’s words to Taylor (perhaps in another reference to the war): ‘You are an Englishman’. The Dutch played their usual unique style in the second half but could break down a rearguard action lead by ‘Der Kaiser’ Beckenbauer, leaving July 7th 1974 as the day when every Dutchman remembers where there were, mourning the ‘Lost Final’.
The 20 Greatest Defeats Of All Time (No. 10-6)
Enter the top ten defeats of all time. Naturally many matches are remembered for incidents occurring of and on the pitch, perhaps with violent clashes, footballing master classes and shifts in power concerning who rules the footballing world.
France (4) 3-3 (5) West Germany 1982 World Cup Semi- Final
An epic football match marred by Harold Schumacher’s tendency to rush out to take out man or ball, in a mindset where the end justifies the means, as it did for the Germans. The match was level between the two sides with Littbarski rifling in a shot and a Platini penalty to equalise. Then Schumacher took out substitute Battiston (whose attempted shot went just wide), knocking him unconscious and leaving him with two less teeth. Later when Platini went for a header, when Schumacher came to claim the ball; Platini was left clutching his shoulder. Tresor scored with a hooked finish for France, followed by a thunderbolt from Giresse, Rummenigge pulled one back, before Fischer sent the match to penalties – a first in the World Cup. Schumacher made the headlines, by moving early off his line (a ploy not noticed by the officials) and saving twice from Six and then Bossis. The great French team of Platini and Tigana could not progress ‘because the officials did not do their job’ as the BBC commentator put it.
Real 0 -5 Barcelona 1973 Primera Division
After being voted out of the captaincy at Ajax, Cruyff left for a club that too was valued on playing beautiful football. In this match he crossed superbly twice to result in goals, and scored a gorgeous goal. Receiving the ball in the edge of the area from the left he burst forward to the left past the despairing lunge of a Real defender, running towards another defender, he quickly shifted the ball onto his right then again onto his left, always shielding the ball from the defender. To top off a superb performance, he finished with aplomb, blasting the ball through the keeper’s legs. To this day Cruyff and his Barcelona team-mates hold the record for Real’s heaviest defeat in the Bernabeu in an El Clasico, an astonishing achievement.
Arsenal 4-5 Man Utd 1958 Old Division One
The Busby babes came to North London, with a brand of exciting attacking, youthful football. They raced up a 0-3 lead in the first half, and the match seemed to be as good as over. Yet in the space of three minutes The Gunners came racing back and clawed back to a 3-3 score-line. The reputation of the Manchester United side came through, showing mental strength to score twice through the devastating Denis Viollet and Tommy Taylor to an unreachable 3-5 lead. Yet in the dying minutes The Gunners pulled a goal back, leaving a tense finish in which Vic Groves almost equalised. A few days later, the Red Devils flew out to Belgrade to meet Red Star in the European Cup. After a victory, their plane stopped to refuel in Munich. Therefore the game at Arsenal’s historical Highbury was to be the last arena where the famous ‘Busby Babes’ strutted their stuff in England.
England 3-6 Hungary 1953 International Friendly
The first defeat at Wembley by a team outside of the British Isles broke an undefeated streak since 1901 against such teams. Finally showed how different styles had evolved in contrast to the stereotypical gung-ho British football and it was no fluke. The Hungarians played a pass and move style, with a strike-force of ‘that fat little chap’ (The England player who referred to the Hungarian legend would later live to regret his words) Ferenc Puskas and Nandor Hidegkuti, who played in a revolutionary half-striker role, ghosting between the lines of midfield and attack, impossible to pick up. ‘The Mighty Magyars’ were seen to many as the influence to Rinus Michel’s ‘Total Football’ concept with their fluid formation and interchange of positions. The return game in 1954 was even more one-sided with Hungary annihilating England 7-1.
Real 11-4 Barcelona 1943 Kings Cup Semi Final
The words Generalissimo or Franco will crop up in remembrance of this semi-final. 3-0 up from the first leg, the Catalans were favourites to meet Bilbao in the final. Yet before the start of the second leg, they were paid a visit by the director of state security, who emphasized the unpatriotic Catalans were only living in Spain on behalf of the generous Franco. Therefore they were forced to throw the match, and even with ten men at half time, it is believed that only such a reason would cause such a loss. The conspiracy theorists continue to look to this dressing room visit. Real still managed to lose the final to Bilbao, after all of their favourite dictator’s help against their arch-rivals.
France (4) 3-3 (5) West Germany 1982 World Cup Semi- Final
An epic football match marred by Harold Schumacher’s tendency to rush out to take out man or ball, in a mindset where the end justifies the means, as it did for the Germans. The match was level between the two sides with Littbarski rifling in a shot and a Platini penalty to equalise. Then Schumacher took out substitute Battiston (whose attempted shot went just wide), knocking him unconscious and leaving him with two less teeth. Later when Platini went for a header, when Schumacher came to claim the ball; Platini was left clutching his shoulder. Tresor scored with a hooked finish for France, followed by a thunderbolt from Giresse, Rummenigge pulled one back, before Fischer sent the match to penalties – a first in the World Cup. Schumacher made the headlines, by moving early off his line (a ploy not noticed by the officials) and saving twice from Six and then Bossis. The great French team of Platini and Tigana could not progress ‘because the officials did not do their job’ as the BBC commentator put it.
Real 0 -5 Barcelona 1973 Primera Division
After being voted out of the captaincy at Ajax, Cruyff left for a club that too was valued on playing beautiful football. In this match he crossed superbly twice to result in goals, and scored a gorgeous goal. Receiving the ball in the edge of the area from the left he burst forward to the left past the despairing lunge of a Real defender, running towards another defender, he quickly shifted the ball onto his right then again onto his left, always shielding the ball from the defender. To top off a superb performance, he finished with aplomb, blasting the ball through the keeper’s legs. To this day Cruyff and his Barcelona team-mates hold the record for Real’s heaviest defeat in the Bernabeu in an El Clasico, an astonishing achievement.
Arsenal 4-5 Man Utd 1958 Old Division One
The Busby babes came to North London, with a brand of exciting attacking, youthful football. They raced up a 0-3 lead in the first half, and the match seemed to be as good as over. Yet in the space of three minutes The Gunners came racing back and clawed back to a 3-3 score-line. The reputation of the Manchester United side came through, showing mental strength to score twice through the devastating Denis Viollet and Tommy Taylor to an unreachable 3-5 lead. Yet in the dying minutes The Gunners pulled a goal back, leaving a tense finish in which Vic Groves almost equalised. A few days later, the Red Devils flew out to Belgrade to meet Red Star in the European Cup. After a victory, their plane stopped to refuel in Munich. Therefore the game at Arsenal’s historical Highbury was to be the last arena where the famous ‘Busby Babes’ strutted their stuff in England.
England 3-6 Hungary 1953 International Friendly
The first defeat at Wembley by a team outside of the British Isles broke an undefeated streak since 1901 against such teams. Finally showed how different styles had evolved in contrast to the stereotypical gung-ho British football and it was no fluke. The Hungarians played a pass and move style, with a strike-force of ‘that fat little chap’ (The England player who referred to the Hungarian legend would later live to regret his words) Ferenc Puskas and Nandor Hidegkuti, who played in a revolutionary half-striker role, ghosting between the lines of midfield and attack, impossible to pick up. ‘The Mighty Magyars’ were seen to many as the influence to Rinus Michel’s ‘Total Football’ concept with their fluid formation and interchange of positions. The return game in 1954 was even more one-sided with Hungary annihilating England 7-1.
Real 11-4 Barcelona 1943 Kings Cup Semi Final
The words Generalissimo or Franco will crop up in remembrance of this semi-final. 3-0 up from the first leg, the Catalans were favourites to meet Bilbao in the final. Yet before the start of the second leg, they were paid a visit by the director of state security, who emphasized the unpatriotic Catalans were only living in Spain on behalf of the generous Franco. Therefore they were forced to throw the match, and even with ten men at half time, it is believed that only such a reason would cause such a loss. The conspiracy theorists continue to look to this dressing room visit. Real still managed to lose the final to Bilbao, after all of their favourite dictator’s help against their arch-rivals.
The 20 Greatest Defeats Of All Time (No. 15-11)
Continuing on from yesterday, here is the next five, which were influenced by pieces of magic, the event and social and moral talking points.
Real Madrid 0-1 Ajax 1973 European Cup Semi-final second leg
According to David Winner, author of ‘Brilliant Orange’ the greatest moment of Ajax’s ‘Golden Age’ was not a goal or a great save. It was a simple piece of juggling by a player who had idolised the legends which had graced the turf of the Bernabeu before him. Gerrie Muhren had the 110,000 fans applauding, rather than the customary white handkerchiefs away teams were used to. It was said to be the moment Ajax took over from Real Madrid as the true Kings of Europe. Having already won the two previous European cups, Ajax strolled to their third successive European Cup victory, having raised the Bernabeu to applaud the brilliance of totaalvoetbal.
Italy 3-2 Brazil 1982 World Cup Second Round
This was truly an occasion was for a phoenix to rise from the flames. His name blackened from a betting scandal and his critics rounding on the poor performances of his and the national’s teams poor ‘aimless’ play. They reached the second round on the back of three draws to meet a Brazilian side that truly brought back beautiful football. Falcao, Zico and Socrates, formed a midfield of vision technique and unlimited flair. Yet it was Rossi who struck first blood, ghosting in to score a free header. John Motson said the Brazilian school of footballing philosophy shows ‘how to play when you’re behind’. He was proved right when an awesome turn by Zico allowed him to release Socrates with a threaded pass. Yet Rossi replied with a brace, and even with a Falcao thunderbolt, Italy prevailed with Dino Zoff making crucial saves. ‘Thankfully skill will still prevail even though teams try to destroy it’. In hindsight, Motson’s words truly marked the ‘death of joga bonito’ as one internet forum member put it. Brazil’s light, glowing football did not prevail and it was loss for football in the long run.
Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United 1999 Premier League
The unwritten rule can have a strong influence and it did until the English FA decided to ignore it from this previous season and onwards. Kelly was putting a ball out, so that his team-mate could receive treatment, or rather so that Bergkamp didn’t score. The resulting throw-in, was taken by Parlour to the Sheffield United players, but was intercepted by Kanu, who crossed for Overmars to slot home. The fact that giving the ball back is seen as an unwritten rule, no-one cannot be sure if all 22 players are playing to the same rule! The match was followed by a generous offer by Arsenal to replay the match, which Steve Bruce ‘expected’, yet in truth he had no right to. Arsenal won the return match 2-1, with no controversy.
Peru 0-6 Argentina – 1978 World Cup Second Round
The situation: Argentina needed to win by more than four goals to reach the final. Why? Brazil’s superior goal difference was blocking their path to World Cup glory. The conspiracy theory: The game was fixed. The Peruvian keeper had only let in 6 goals in his previous five games; He had Argentinean nationality too. Argentina had only scored 6 in their previous games; the exact margin they won this game by. Argentina progressed to the final where they used stalling tactics to unnerve the Dutch team in Estadio Buenos Aires, a cauldron of blue and white. The greatest mystery of all: they were winners of the FIFA Fair Play Award.
Germany 2-1 Holland 1990 World Cup Round of 16
After the second World War, the Dutch had moved away from it and had rebuilt. A few generations later, books were released about concentration camps, and trials were held for war crimes. Thus the new youth, which included the footballers, coached by Cruyff, in van Basten, Gullit and Rikjaard saw Germany as the enemy. This boiled over onto the pitch, with Rikjaard spitting at Rudi Voller, and this settled the match. Another aspect to the rivalry was the setting. Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The AC Milan team of the nineties had a Dutch spine, and in contrast the Inter team, contained a number of Germans. Thus the match reflected a rivalry that was on a number of planes; club and international. The defeat also caused violent clashes on the Dutch-German border.
Real Madrid 0-1 Ajax 1973 European Cup Semi-final second leg
According to David Winner, author of ‘Brilliant Orange’ the greatest moment of Ajax’s ‘Golden Age’ was not a goal or a great save. It was a simple piece of juggling by a player who had idolised the legends which had graced the turf of the Bernabeu before him. Gerrie Muhren had the 110,000 fans applauding, rather than the customary white handkerchiefs away teams were used to. It was said to be the moment Ajax took over from Real Madrid as the true Kings of Europe. Having already won the two previous European cups, Ajax strolled to their third successive European Cup victory, having raised the Bernabeu to applaud the brilliance of totaalvoetbal.
Italy 3-2 Brazil 1982 World Cup Second Round
This was truly an occasion was for a phoenix to rise from the flames. His name blackened from a betting scandal and his critics rounding on the poor performances of his and the national’s teams poor ‘aimless’ play. They reached the second round on the back of three draws to meet a Brazilian side that truly brought back beautiful football. Falcao, Zico and Socrates, formed a midfield of vision technique and unlimited flair. Yet it was Rossi who struck first blood, ghosting in to score a free header. John Motson said the Brazilian school of footballing philosophy shows ‘how to play when you’re behind’. He was proved right when an awesome turn by Zico allowed him to release Socrates with a threaded pass. Yet Rossi replied with a brace, and even with a Falcao thunderbolt, Italy prevailed with Dino Zoff making crucial saves. ‘Thankfully skill will still prevail even though teams try to destroy it’. In hindsight, Motson’s words truly marked the ‘death of joga bonito’ as one internet forum member put it. Brazil’s light, glowing football did not prevail and it was loss for football in the long run.
Arsenal 2-1 Sheffield United 1999 Premier League
The unwritten rule can have a strong influence and it did until the English FA decided to ignore it from this previous season and onwards. Kelly was putting a ball out, so that his team-mate could receive treatment, or rather so that Bergkamp didn’t score. The resulting throw-in, was taken by Parlour to the Sheffield United players, but was intercepted by Kanu, who crossed for Overmars to slot home. The fact that giving the ball back is seen as an unwritten rule, no-one cannot be sure if all 22 players are playing to the same rule! The match was followed by a generous offer by Arsenal to replay the match, which Steve Bruce ‘expected’, yet in truth he had no right to. Arsenal won the return match 2-1, with no controversy.
Peru 0-6 Argentina – 1978 World Cup Second Round
The situation: Argentina needed to win by more than four goals to reach the final. Why? Brazil’s superior goal difference was blocking their path to World Cup glory. The conspiracy theory: The game was fixed. The Peruvian keeper had only let in 6 goals in his previous five games; He had Argentinean nationality too. Argentina had only scored 6 in their previous games; the exact margin they won this game by. Argentina progressed to the final where they used stalling tactics to unnerve the Dutch team in Estadio Buenos Aires, a cauldron of blue and white. The greatest mystery of all: they were winners of the FIFA Fair Play Award.
Germany 2-1 Holland 1990 World Cup Round of 16
After the second World War, the Dutch had moved away from it and had rebuilt. A few generations later, books were released about concentration camps, and trials were held for war crimes. Thus the new youth, which included the footballers, coached by Cruyff, in van Basten, Gullit and Rikjaard saw Germany as the enemy. This boiled over onto the pitch, with Rikjaard spitting at Rudi Voller, and this settled the match. Another aspect to the rivalry was the setting. Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The AC Milan team of the nineties had a Dutch spine, and in contrast the Inter team, contained a number of Germans. Thus the match reflected a rivalry that was on a number of planes; club and international. The defeat also caused violent clashes on the Dutch-German border.
The 20 Greatest Defeats Of All Time (No. 20-16)
Following on from my article about reasons of defeat, I have compiled a list of defeats, which have caused a great impact in the course of footballing history. Here is the first five…of which most have been chosen of the circumstances and the drama involved.
Inter Milan 0 – 5 AC Milan 2005 Champions League Quarter Final
One of the most infamous Milan derbies in recent history, with a 2-0 lead from the first leg, AC were set to win, with a 1-0 lead from Shevchenko when the unruly Inter Ultras struck in protest to a goal from Argentine Cambiasso ruled out by referee Markus Merk. The objection consisted of bottles and debris being thrown onto the pitch and soon escalated to lit flares, one of which hit Milan keeper Dida on the shoulder, suffering first-degree burns. Therefore, the game was abandoned and Milan were awarded a 3-0 win, and the Nerazzurri fined €200,000, a UEFA record.
Bayern Munich v Manchester United 1999 Champions League Final
Three minutes of injury time had changed the outcome of this game. Man United had played poorly in Barcelona and it seemed to be Bayern’s trophy. The Bavarian club’s ribbons had been attached onto the cup, and it was only till after Munich substituted Basler and Matthaus that United came back into the game. A scuffed Giggs shot reached Sheringham, who scored from six yards. Then came another Beckham corner as ITV commentator asked: ‘is this their moment?’ Sheringham headed the ball down and Solskjaer instinctively swung his boot at the ball and lashed it into the roof of the net with virtually the final kick of the game. Having played an effective counter-attacking game-plan and hit the woodwork a number of times, against all the odds, the Mancunians completed the infamous treble and rival fans would never hear the end of it.
AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool 2005 Champions League Final
An impossible defeat. A Milan side, who scored inside a minute, and tore Liverpool to shreds through the clever running of Kaka, the smart passing of Pirlo and the killer instinct of Crespo and Shevchenko. It should have been four, if not for a poor decision by the linesman to deny Milan a fourth before the half time whistle. Then inside a six minute period, doubts crept into Milanese minds, when Gerard scored with a looping header. Reminders of previous matches against Deportivo La Coruna and close scares against Lyon and PSV Eindhoven cropped up. Even after the score was level, now cult hero Jerzy Dudek made to awesome saves from Shevchenko in the dying moments of extra-time at point-blank range. The penalty shoot-out brought out a Grobbelaar-esque instinct in Dudek who won the cup for the Merseyside club. Milan took revenge two years later.
USA 1-0 England 1950 World Cup First Round
Dubbed ‘Miracle on Grass’, it also has a film made after it released in 2005. This defeat finally took away the English belief of superiority in the game of football, and it displayed an urgent need to change the outlook upon the English game. New styles were being developed; most were tactically and aesthetically superior. Having refused to play against countries against whom they had fought in the war previously, and arguments on bonuses amongst other things, they finally arrived in Brazil, ready to prove their dominance. Or so they hope. Gaetjens scored against in defiance to the English dominance. It was beautifully summed by victorious American footballer Harry Keough in the aftermath through, ‘Boy, I feel sorry for these bastards. How are they ever going to live down the fact we beat them?’
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal 1989 Division One
It was the final game of the season. Arsenal was trailing by three points. Liverpool was ahead on goal difference. The situation to George Graham’s Gunners was clear. They had to win by two clear goals. For Liverpool defeat was unthinkable and not a possibility against an Arsenal side with a defeat and a draw in their previous two home games. Enter Michael Thomas. Arsenal was leading by a goal through Alan Smith. Appeals of offside were waved away, and the final seconds are remembered by Brian Moore’s commentary: ‘Thomas, charging through the midfield... it's up for grabs now... Thomas, right at the end!’ Liverpool had lost in unbelievable circumstances.
Inter Milan 0 – 5 AC Milan 2005 Champions League Quarter Final
One of the most infamous Milan derbies in recent history, with a 2-0 lead from the first leg, AC were set to win, with a 1-0 lead from Shevchenko when the unruly Inter Ultras struck in protest to a goal from Argentine Cambiasso ruled out by referee Markus Merk. The objection consisted of bottles and debris being thrown onto the pitch and soon escalated to lit flares, one of which hit Milan keeper Dida on the shoulder, suffering first-degree burns. Therefore, the game was abandoned and Milan were awarded a 3-0 win, and the Nerazzurri fined €200,000, a UEFA record.
Bayern Munich v Manchester United 1999 Champions League Final
Three minutes of injury time had changed the outcome of this game. Man United had played poorly in Barcelona and it seemed to be Bayern’s trophy. The Bavarian club’s ribbons had been attached onto the cup, and it was only till after Munich substituted Basler and Matthaus that United came back into the game. A scuffed Giggs shot reached Sheringham, who scored from six yards. Then came another Beckham corner as ITV commentator asked: ‘is this their moment?’ Sheringham headed the ball down and Solskjaer instinctively swung his boot at the ball and lashed it into the roof of the net with virtually the final kick of the game. Having played an effective counter-attacking game-plan and hit the woodwork a number of times, against all the odds, the Mancunians completed the infamous treble and rival fans would never hear the end of it.
AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool 2005 Champions League Final
An impossible defeat. A Milan side, who scored inside a minute, and tore Liverpool to shreds through the clever running of Kaka, the smart passing of Pirlo and the killer instinct of Crespo and Shevchenko. It should have been four, if not for a poor decision by the linesman to deny Milan a fourth before the half time whistle. Then inside a six minute period, doubts crept into Milanese minds, when Gerard scored with a looping header. Reminders of previous matches against Deportivo La Coruna and close scares against Lyon and PSV Eindhoven cropped up. Even after the score was level, now cult hero Jerzy Dudek made to awesome saves from Shevchenko in the dying moments of extra-time at point-blank range. The penalty shoot-out brought out a Grobbelaar-esque instinct in Dudek who won the cup for the Merseyside club. Milan took revenge two years later.
USA 1-0 England 1950 World Cup First Round
Dubbed ‘Miracle on Grass’, it also has a film made after it released in 2005. This defeat finally took away the English belief of superiority in the game of football, and it displayed an urgent need to change the outlook upon the English game. New styles were being developed; most were tactically and aesthetically superior. Having refused to play against countries against whom they had fought in the war previously, and arguments on bonuses amongst other things, they finally arrived in Brazil, ready to prove their dominance. Or so they hope. Gaetjens scored against in defiance to the English dominance. It was beautifully summed by victorious American footballer Harry Keough in the aftermath through, ‘Boy, I feel sorry for these bastards. How are they ever going to live down the fact we beat them?’
Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal 1989 Division One
It was the final game of the season. Arsenal was trailing by three points. Liverpool was ahead on goal difference. The situation to George Graham’s Gunners was clear. They had to win by two clear goals. For Liverpool defeat was unthinkable and not a possibility against an Arsenal side with a defeat and a draw in their previous two home games. Enter Michael Thomas. Arsenal was leading by a goal through Alan Smith. Appeals of offside were waved away, and the final seconds are remembered by Brian Moore’s commentary: ‘Thomas, charging through the midfield... it's up for grabs now... Thomas, right at the end!’ Liverpool had lost in unbelievable circumstances.
Passive Midfield Causes Tactical Defeat!
In the ‘invincible season’, we played a team with two destructive centre midfielders with two unconventional wingers, attacking the box, and switching positions with Henry, with the central focus, arguably the greatest Dutchman of this era, with his vision, technique and awareness providing elegance to the intelligent runs of Pires and Ljungberg. In contrast, that central attacking focus has changed, with Fabregas adopting a deeper role in this new, more continental team. With more technical players used in the elusive Hleb and the (ever so slightly) Rosicky, the speed on the counter-attack is not what it once used to be. Until this season that is. As Vieira used to press and harass opponents high up the pitch, leading his fellow players in forcing the opposition into making a mistake, now it is Flamini who while not as physically intimidating, makes this deficiency up through his unlimited stamina, and this new-found aggression allows us to exploit any space with greater speed.
Yet in rotating against Sevilla, while we lost any consistency, (injuries also played a hand), there has no central attacking focus, and with our wide players a striker and a right-back, this tactic did not work. It has done on occasions, such as in January 2007, in the FA cup game at Anfield where, we adopted almost a stereotypical Brazilian 4-2-2-2, with Flamini providing aggression and Gilberto experience. The wing play was superb, with the two eastern Europeans in Hleb and Rosicky, combining to great effect. Yet such a counter-attacking formation was allowed by playing two strikers, who while they were marked well, always gave a hint of a threat, and in the end (with some luck), Henry scored a great goal. With poor wide players (with Eboue limited technically, with the exception that inch perfect back heel and Eduardo, not accustomed to tracking back, leaving us exposed on the left flank), the central trio had to be strong and compact and providing an attacking focus. The fact that Cesc Fabregas, a player who has grown to become the fulcrum of this new side, barely touched the ball in the game, and operating with limited space, epitomised the poor nature of the performance.
Gilberto’s role was vital in the game-plan, with Wenger assuming he would sweep up any counter-attacks, and tackle efficiently, preventing any prolonged spell of possession for the home side. Yet after scoring early, in a group from which we had qualified, the team perhaps subconsciously dropped off, and ceased from pressing and maintaining the momentum built up. There were several instances where a Sevilla player ran at the back-four, without Denilson, Cesc or the Brazilian captain getting near to him, and delaying the release of the pass. The strong central core that was necessary had failed; as a result Sevilla for all their wasteful nature could have had six or seven, if only for some composure. With Eduardo not attempting to track back, once he scored his goal, Traore was left woefully exposed to the attacking intent of Alves and Navas, a potent combination, especially at home in front of over 60, 000 fans. Yet this was not the main issue. The midfield was being bypassed with every Sevilla attack, our ‘volante’ and his young pretender, were like Fabregas, being completely outplayed. While this added to our demise, the simple mistakes made in a Champions League match, which were extremely disappointing, emphasise that concentration and focus must be 100% at all times.
The creativity dilemma is very difficult to solve, with no replacement capable of playing the natural game, which Cesc adds to our team. Without Hleb, it will be even more evident how much this duo adds to our attacking game. Rosicky is not the solution, although he is a wonderful footballer, his direct nature is needed on the wing, where he will track back too, unlike make-shift wide-men in Walcott and Eduardo. We must hope our maestro’s injury is not serious, and will need Flamini back for the Villa game, adding aggression and a high pressing game to our style, which has now been disrupted.
A pacy backline will be needed as the positioning of Senderos ( no more needs to be said, knee-jerk articles will crop up anyway) did not inspire, nor did the majority of his play. Toure lost Fabiano for the header and conceded the penalty, and so a calm presence in Gallas, with the addition of the assured Sagna and Clichy, must improve our defensive shambles. The return of Van Persie would help the team to no end, and would force Wenger to drop the unsuccessful 4-5-1 formation he has adopted since the Dutchman’s unfortunate injury. This would all cover the fragile midfield played in Seville, but a replacement for Cesc is needed, as is cover for Hleb and Rosicky. Naturally Luka Modric comes to mind, but in addition to this, young Fran Merida can come to the fray as a contender to become Cesc’s replacement when suspension and injury strikes. In addition to this, a centre-back is needed, to cover Toure’s departure in January. The Villarreal youngster Caceres may be a possibility, having impressed on loan at Huelva. While it proved to be a good learning experience for the younger member’s of the team, it proved that many of our players aren’t as versatile as once thought.
Hopefully this nightmare of a tactical plan will make Wenger to abandon his 4-5-1 approach, and we should be lucky that it was in a match with little significance, although come February, we may be cursing the decision to rotate.
Yet in rotating against Sevilla, while we lost any consistency, (injuries also played a hand), there has no central attacking focus, and with our wide players a striker and a right-back, this tactic did not work. It has done on occasions, such as in January 2007, in the FA cup game at Anfield where, we adopted almost a stereotypical Brazilian 4-2-2-2, with Flamini providing aggression and Gilberto experience. The wing play was superb, with the two eastern Europeans in Hleb and Rosicky, combining to great effect. Yet such a counter-attacking formation was allowed by playing two strikers, who while they were marked well, always gave a hint of a threat, and in the end (with some luck), Henry scored a great goal. With poor wide players (with Eboue limited technically, with the exception that inch perfect back heel and Eduardo, not accustomed to tracking back, leaving us exposed on the left flank), the central trio had to be strong and compact and providing an attacking focus. The fact that Cesc Fabregas, a player who has grown to become the fulcrum of this new side, barely touched the ball in the game, and operating with limited space, epitomised the poor nature of the performance.
Gilberto’s role was vital in the game-plan, with Wenger assuming he would sweep up any counter-attacks, and tackle efficiently, preventing any prolonged spell of possession for the home side. Yet after scoring early, in a group from which we had qualified, the team perhaps subconsciously dropped off, and ceased from pressing and maintaining the momentum built up. There were several instances where a Sevilla player ran at the back-four, without Denilson, Cesc or the Brazilian captain getting near to him, and delaying the release of the pass. The strong central core that was necessary had failed; as a result Sevilla for all their wasteful nature could have had six or seven, if only for some composure. With Eduardo not attempting to track back, once he scored his goal, Traore was left woefully exposed to the attacking intent of Alves and Navas, a potent combination, especially at home in front of over 60, 000 fans. Yet this was not the main issue. The midfield was being bypassed with every Sevilla attack, our ‘volante’ and his young pretender, were like Fabregas, being completely outplayed. While this added to our demise, the simple mistakes made in a Champions League match, which were extremely disappointing, emphasise that concentration and focus must be 100% at all times.
The creativity dilemma is very difficult to solve, with no replacement capable of playing the natural game, which Cesc adds to our team. Without Hleb, it will be even more evident how much this duo adds to our attacking game. Rosicky is not the solution, although he is a wonderful footballer, his direct nature is needed on the wing, where he will track back too, unlike make-shift wide-men in Walcott and Eduardo. We must hope our maestro’s injury is not serious, and will need Flamini back for the Villa game, adding aggression and a high pressing game to our style, which has now been disrupted.
A pacy backline will be needed as the positioning of Senderos ( no more needs to be said, knee-jerk articles will crop up anyway) did not inspire, nor did the majority of his play. Toure lost Fabiano for the header and conceded the penalty, and so a calm presence in Gallas, with the addition of the assured Sagna and Clichy, must improve our defensive shambles. The return of Van Persie would help the team to no end, and would force Wenger to drop the unsuccessful 4-5-1 formation he has adopted since the Dutchman’s unfortunate injury. This would all cover the fragile midfield played in Seville, but a replacement for Cesc is needed, as is cover for Hleb and Rosicky. Naturally Luka Modric comes to mind, but in addition to this, young Fran Merida can come to the fray as a contender to become Cesc’s replacement when suspension and injury strikes. In addition to this, a centre-back is needed, to cover Toure’s departure in January. The Villarreal youngster Caceres may be a possibility, having impressed on loan at Huelva. While it proved to be a good learning experience for the younger member’s of the team, it proved that many of our players aren’t as versatile as once thought.
Hopefully this nightmare of a tactical plan will make Wenger to abandon his 4-5-1 approach, and we should be lucky that it was in a match with little significance, although come February, we may be cursing the decision to rotate.
In Praise Of The Belarussian Genius!
It is not right that while Walcott was very, very impressive in his role in last night’s victory, most pundits and fans alike missed out our very own Belarusian genius’ role in one of the most complete footballing performances of recent times. This was clear when the ITV commentator screamed ‘Arsenal and England!’ that most other players were to be left the scraps of praise after a young Englishman appeared to have gotten his break at the most aesthetically pleasing football club in the country.
Yet as this happened, there aren’t enough adjectives to describe how well Hleb has been playing recently and his role in the destruction of Slavia Prague. Done Howe, the former Arsenal manager, claimed some months ago that Hleb can play a similar role in this side as Messi does for Barcelona (this is not to directly compare the two players in any way). After witnessing his form this season it is hard to understand why he could not fulfil such a role. His close control, vision and awareness, enabled Arsenal to unlock the stubborn rearguard action of Bolton last weekend. His ability to find space in the centre of the pitch assisted his more direct team-mates with an inch perfect pass exploited by Walcott to enable Rosicky to score. In a similar fashion he attracted a couple of Prague defenders to the corner flag occupying them as Fabregas ran into the space created, albeit assisted by a slip of his marker, to fire a curling effort beyond the reaches of Vlcek.
For all his abilities Hleb once epitomised Arsenal’s tendency to overplay. No longer is this the case. After scoring the winning goal against Fulham on the opening day of the season, which followed the equalising goal in the Emirates Cup against Inter Milan, Hleb repeated the trick in Europe against Sparta in a last minute counter attack. And against their neighbours and Czech league leaders Slavia, a quick turn in direction left a defender for dead and his pose as he shaped to shoot deceived the keeper who dived for the far post, with Hleb slotting in at the near post. Overall, of the few goals he has scored for Arsenal, more have come in Europe with perhaps the slower tempo and more tactical play benefiting Arsenal and the Belarusian in particular. And if we’re being generous, he can claim the second, which took a large deflection to lift it over the flailing hands of the Prague keeper.
Having played on the right hand side for the majority of his Arsenal career, linking up with the marauding Eboue (and now Sagna), it is clear that at his most effective Hleb plays best in the half-striker role. During Arsenal’s unbeaten season, Hleb played in the hole for Stuttgart, in a run of games which saw them defeat Manchester United, but as momentum dissipated, he was shunted out to his old role on the left, with Coach Felix Magath in favour of Hakan Yakin, which ironically is where some of his best Arsenal performances have come from. With Wenger experimenting with a more possession based 4-5-1 rather than the 4-5-1, successful in Europe in 2005/6 with runners from midfield supporting Henry, this new style was less direct but more efficient in unlocking defensive teams and in retaining the ball against giants such as Inter. Qualms that remain that in this free roaming role, he may inhibit areas usually covered by Fabregas and now, Flamini.
His style which can embarrass opponents has caused retaliation or such very unorthodox methods of stopping his genius. Read Mark Noble (when has a name never been so uncomplimentary to the nature of his actions) and Paul Mcshane. Wenger has encouraged the Belarusian to continue his playing style despite a number of obstacles blocking his path, including thuggish tackles and overly defensive formations. So praise Hleb, and his much improved performances. On last night’s exhibition his name should be held in the same manner as Cesc and Theo.
If we continue our momentum there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be silverware to fill the empty trophy cabinet at Emirates Stadium, and one of the deciding factors surely must be Hleb’s awkward, yet graceful playing style.
Yet as this happened, there aren’t enough adjectives to describe how well Hleb has been playing recently and his role in the destruction of Slavia Prague. Done Howe, the former Arsenal manager, claimed some months ago that Hleb can play a similar role in this side as Messi does for Barcelona (this is not to directly compare the two players in any way). After witnessing his form this season it is hard to understand why he could not fulfil such a role. His close control, vision and awareness, enabled Arsenal to unlock the stubborn rearguard action of Bolton last weekend. His ability to find space in the centre of the pitch assisted his more direct team-mates with an inch perfect pass exploited by Walcott to enable Rosicky to score. In a similar fashion he attracted a couple of Prague defenders to the corner flag occupying them as Fabregas ran into the space created, albeit assisted by a slip of his marker, to fire a curling effort beyond the reaches of Vlcek.
For all his abilities Hleb once epitomised Arsenal’s tendency to overplay. No longer is this the case. After scoring the winning goal against Fulham on the opening day of the season, which followed the equalising goal in the Emirates Cup against Inter Milan, Hleb repeated the trick in Europe against Sparta in a last minute counter attack. And against their neighbours and Czech league leaders Slavia, a quick turn in direction left a defender for dead and his pose as he shaped to shoot deceived the keeper who dived for the far post, with Hleb slotting in at the near post. Overall, of the few goals he has scored for Arsenal, more have come in Europe with perhaps the slower tempo and more tactical play benefiting Arsenal and the Belarusian in particular. And if we’re being generous, he can claim the second, which took a large deflection to lift it over the flailing hands of the Prague keeper.
Having played on the right hand side for the majority of his Arsenal career, linking up with the marauding Eboue (and now Sagna), it is clear that at his most effective Hleb plays best in the half-striker role. During Arsenal’s unbeaten season, Hleb played in the hole for Stuttgart, in a run of games which saw them defeat Manchester United, but as momentum dissipated, he was shunted out to his old role on the left, with Coach Felix Magath in favour of Hakan Yakin, which ironically is where some of his best Arsenal performances have come from. With Wenger experimenting with a more possession based 4-5-1 rather than the 4-5-1, successful in Europe in 2005/6 with runners from midfield supporting Henry, this new style was less direct but more efficient in unlocking defensive teams and in retaining the ball against giants such as Inter. Qualms that remain that in this free roaming role, he may inhibit areas usually covered by Fabregas and now, Flamini.
His style which can embarrass opponents has caused retaliation or such very unorthodox methods of stopping his genius. Read Mark Noble (when has a name never been so uncomplimentary to the nature of his actions) and Paul Mcshane. Wenger has encouraged the Belarusian to continue his playing style despite a number of obstacles blocking his path, including thuggish tackles and overly defensive formations. So praise Hleb, and his much improved performances. On last night’s exhibition his name should be held in the same manner as Cesc and Theo.
If we continue our momentum there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be silverware to fill the empty trophy cabinet at Emirates Stadium, and one of the deciding factors surely must be Hleb’s awkward, yet graceful playing style.
Merida Out? Not A Chance!
Francisco Merida Perez. The excitement was evident especially when those barely followed the youth and reserves were excitedly rubbing their hands in expectation. Arsenal had just signed a player who had apparently been rated more highly than Cesc Fabregas, a player who was (and is more so than ever) the nucleus of this young Arsenal team at the ripe, old age of 19.
With a cloud of confusion between UEFA and FIFA concerning rules over the transfer of youth players, with the latter prohibiting the international transfers of U18s and the former allowing it in exceptional circumstances, which for most Champions League sides such a rule applies on all occasions. Thus Arsenal again exploited the loophole and was helped by the fact that promising youth players cannot sign a professional contract until 18 in Spain. In shady circumstances, Merida left the Barcelona academy months before his 16th birthday and signed for Arsenal under the advice of Joseba Diaz, also the agent of Fabregas. At London Colney, he improved various aspects of game, which were already acquired from the £7 million academy at Barcelona. An experience of the continental way of playing certainly bodes well, especially if one considers the unique brand of football Arsenal play. Compare the player to Theo Walcott, who started playing the beautiful game relatively late, and it appears that the majority of his youth football exploited his pace and focused on competitiveness, rather than look to improve his weaknesses.
While Theo has great potential as we have seen in a number of his appearances (where he has been played out of position), his footballing intelligence is relatively poor, while the majority of foreign players can quickly select the most promising option to advantage their side. Therefore players like Rooney, who has extraordinary footballing intelligence, are extremely rare to find in England. On personal evidence, I have seen Merida play thrice at the Emirates, with the former two appearances in the FA Youth Cup, where he dictated the play from deep, playing as a base, which the youngsters used to keep possession, in an almost Pirlo-esque manner. He rarely ventured forward in the matches but in most cases kept the attacking impetus to the home side. This appeared to be similar to Fabregas’ early Arsenal career, where having scored 30 goals a season in the Barca youth team, he played from deep, and only recently where having bulked up, he started adding goals to his already large tally of assists. I see Merida progressing in a similar way, perhaps even quicker. The player himself has a stocky build, allowing him to shield the ball to find enough time to spot and execute a pass. In a similar fashion to Fabregas, he does not have great pace, but he overcomes this with a strong positional sense. Merida, is predominantly left footed, and thus can adopt the position of an unconventional winger similar to either Hleb or Rosicky, where vision, awareness and quick feet aid the attacking cause.
As one tabloid claimed his lack of mobility and pace are said to be his downfall, yet this is just seen as a sensationalized twist by a newspaper which has little or no credibility at all. Therefore a £2.1 million fine for one of the most promising youngsters in the world is seen to be perfectly reasonable, considering Barcelona’s state of the art youth academy and the training Merida, an Atletico fan, received. Compare this to a scapegoat of many fans in Alex Song. Playing as a relatively composed central defender now, he once was ridiculed at half time in a 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage, almost cursing Arsene Wenger in signing a £2.8 million flop. In comparison to this Merida looks to be a bargain, with Song improving to such an extent that he was the most impressive defender in the recent Carling Cup tie against Newcastle United.
It is clear that foreign players are more highly rated at clubs rather than home-grown ones. The best example is at Barcelona, where Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic and Giovani Dos Santos, are all originally from Argentina, Serbia/Spain and Mexico respectively, these three were the only ones to graduate to the first team, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Captain Carlos Puyol and Ronaldinho. With Arsene Wenger recently claimed he is ‘addicted to statistics’, no one is better placed than the Frenchman himself to judge whether the young Spaniard is good enough. Proof that Merida has a bright future at the club is shown by a brief appearance against Newcastle in what was his first team debut. With the player predominantly left-footed, a rarity at Arsenal, with only left-full backs and striker Eduardo, such a quality is again likely to be treasured. Therefore, the reports of a possible loan move to Spain are interesting, and the cause of a presidential candidate making transfer promises in the ‘Segunda division’ (think of it to be a smaller scale claim in comparison to Calderon’s claims of signing Fabregas this summer)
Therefore I firmly believe that the young Spaniard will be fixture in the Arsenal side for years to come.
With a cloud of confusion between UEFA and FIFA concerning rules over the transfer of youth players, with the latter prohibiting the international transfers of U18s and the former allowing it in exceptional circumstances, which for most Champions League sides such a rule applies on all occasions. Thus Arsenal again exploited the loophole and was helped by the fact that promising youth players cannot sign a professional contract until 18 in Spain. In shady circumstances, Merida left the Barcelona academy months before his 16th birthday and signed for Arsenal under the advice of Joseba Diaz, also the agent of Fabregas. At London Colney, he improved various aspects of game, which were already acquired from the £7 million academy at Barcelona. An experience of the continental way of playing certainly bodes well, especially if one considers the unique brand of football Arsenal play. Compare the player to Theo Walcott, who started playing the beautiful game relatively late, and it appears that the majority of his youth football exploited his pace and focused on competitiveness, rather than look to improve his weaknesses.
While Theo has great potential as we have seen in a number of his appearances (where he has been played out of position), his footballing intelligence is relatively poor, while the majority of foreign players can quickly select the most promising option to advantage their side. Therefore players like Rooney, who has extraordinary footballing intelligence, are extremely rare to find in England. On personal evidence, I have seen Merida play thrice at the Emirates, with the former two appearances in the FA Youth Cup, where he dictated the play from deep, playing as a base, which the youngsters used to keep possession, in an almost Pirlo-esque manner. He rarely ventured forward in the matches but in most cases kept the attacking impetus to the home side. This appeared to be similar to Fabregas’ early Arsenal career, where having scored 30 goals a season in the Barca youth team, he played from deep, and only recently where having bulked up, he started adding goals to his already large tally of assists. I see Merida progressing in a similar way, perhaps even quicker. The player himself has a stocky build, allowing him to shield the ball to find enough time to spot and execute a pass. In a similar fashion to Fabregas, he does not have great pace, but he overcomes this with a strong positional sense. Merida, is predominantly left footed, and thus can adopt the position of an unconventional winger similar to either Hleb or Rosicky, where vision, awareness and quick feet aid the attacking cause.
As one tabloid claimed his lack of mobility and pace are said to be his downfall, yet this is just seen as a sensationalized twist by a newspaper which has little or no credibility at all. Therefore a £2.1 million fine for one of the most promising youngsters in the world is seen to be perfectly reasonable, considering Barcelona’s state of the art youth academy and the training Merida, an Atletico fan, received. Compare this to a scapegoat of many fans in Alex Song. Playing as a relatively composed central defender now, he once was ridiculed at half time in a 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage, almost cursing Arsene Wenger in signing a £2.8 million flop. In comparison to this Merida looks to be a bargain, with Song improving to such an extent that he was the most impressive defender in the recent Carling Cup tie against Newcastle United.
It is clear that foreign players are more highly rated at clubs rather than home-grown ones. The best example is at Barcelona, where Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic and Giovani Dos Santos, are all originally from Argentina, Serbia/Spain and Mexico respectively, these three were the only ones to graduate to the first team, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Captain Carlos Puyol and Ronaldinho. With Arsene Wenger recently claimed he is ‘addicted to statistics’, no one is better placed than the Frenchman himself to judge whether the young Spaniard is good enough. Proof that Merida has a bright future at the club is shown by a brief appearance against Newcastle in what was his first team debut. With the player predominantly left-footed, a rarity at Arsenal, with only left-full backs and striker Eduardo, such a quality is again likely to be treasured. Therefore, the reports of a possible loan move to Spain are interesting, and the cause of a presidential candidate making transfer promises in the ‘Segunda division’ (think of it to be a smaller scale claim in comparison to Calderon’s claims of signing Fabregas this summer)
Therefore I firmly believe that the young Spaniard will be fixture in the Arsenal side for years to come.
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