Arsenal Talk

Discussion in 'Arsenal FC' started by Colonel Ronan, Mar 1, 2009.

  1. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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  2. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    Easy 3-0 win today over Pompey with a 2nd string team. Two goals from Bendtner and a strike from Vela. Arshavin rated highest on the day.
     
  3. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    Casual win today. Pompy didn't look confident.

    Having AA in the Champions League would make a huge difference... next year will be much better.
     
  4. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    Arsenal is shutting down Gaël Clichy for the rest of the season.
     
  5. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    We got raped again.
     
  6. La Bomba

    La Bomba The Future

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    Well Arsenal's season was nothing great, but I'm impressed with the progression of some of the young guys. I'm starting to like Bendtner more and more.
     
  7. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    ^ Bendtner is giving us more than Adebayor these days. Virtually no chance Adebayor is here next season.

    One can only hope we can get a finisher to replace him--is David Villa too much to ask for?
     
  8. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez are early options. I'll have a think of other players we could snap up. If we get rid of Adebayor we'll need another Adebayor-esque player... Otherwise we'll have absolutely NO height in the squad.

    If I were Wenger I'd offload Adebayor, Denilson, Diaby, Silvestre (we still have Senderos, lol), and Rosicky if he's terrible. Make bids for Xabi Alonso, Miguel Veloso, Gareth Barry, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz, Stephen Ireland, and Micah Richards. I mean, obviously not all of them, but Alonso and Barry would be a good start. Perhaps we also need more depth on the right? With Arshavin eligible next season for every game, I'd expect to see Nasri, Fabregas, Walcott, and Arshavin in midfield so we look set there. Eboue can cover Walcott if he's injured, Nasri can cover the left or centre, Fabregas doesn't seem to get injured very often but Arshavin can probably take the more creative "set back" role.

    Upfront we definitely need more magic. Tevez seems to be too "runny around" because I think we're looking for a pure striker. Roque Santa Cruz would be a good choice because he seems to be able to knock goals in as though its nobody's business. If we get him the right delivery, I'm sure he will score a clusterfuck - And we all know we can create plently of chances, sigh. I'm trying to think of other strikers that would fit the role but I honestly can't think of any. Wenger knows the game extremely well so he probably has a couple of players under the radar.

    The defense is definitely our weakest point and its the place of the squad I know nothing about. Who do we get rid of? Who do we get? Do we need experience? More pace? Height? More strength? A better leader in the core? I would make bids for some quality EPL defenders (not necessarily English) such as Dunne or... Somebody else? Perhaps we could raid some of the newly relegated teams like Newcastle or Middlesbrough... What do they have to offer?

    Anyway, I can't wait to see what moves Wenger makes and I'm sure they will be the right ones. Lets challenge for the title and prove everyone wrong once and for all! :)
     
  9. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    Forwards
    1 Van Persie, Adebayor, Bendtner, Eduardo, Vela, Walcott
    R Freeman, Fonte, Simpson, Murphy, Sunu

    Wenger is trying to get RVP to re-up with the team, as Theo did a little while back. He probably will. If he can stay healthy he is an essential part of our front field. Who our second forward is going to be on a weekly basis is up in the air. Adebayor should be sold this summer--perhaps he should've been sold last summer--and the odds of us getting a high-end replacement seem doubtful considering Wenger's fiscal conservatism. We are in the same boat as ManU as both teams need a pure finisher with a selfish streak--someone to take shots rather than play around in front of the box, as the rest of our forwards and attacking midfielders have a tendency to do too much. Tevez doesn't really fit with either team which is why he'll probably end up in Spain. Bendtner is coming into his own in the last months and could be a reliable player for us after the hour mark, but I doubt his ability to give us 90 minutes as his focus seems to flutter. We could definitely use a veteran forward, even someone over 30 like Carew, to come in and stabilize the forward rotation. Having Eduardo back in the fold will help next year. Pavel Pogrebnyak, a 25-year old striker from Moscow, is on our radar, according to the BBC's gossip section. He's punched in 21 goals for Zenit this season and should have instant chemistry with AA, but getting Russian players is a pain in the ass so I wouldn't expect this to happen. Bolton and Blackburn have both tried to land him without success. Maybe having AA leaves the door open for more Russian players to come.

    Midfielders
    1 Diaby, Fabregas, Rosicky, Nasri, Denilson, Ramsey, Wilshire, Arshavin, Eboue, Bischoff
    R Watt, Emanuel-Thomas, Lansbury, Dunne, Barazite, Merida, Henderson, Frimpong, Rasmussen, Coquelin, Randall, Van Der Berg

    Ideally we should be running a diamond with Fabregas up front and closer to the forwards where his short passing game can be maximized, Nasri and AA on the sides, and a holding midfielder behind them. Our build up play is excessive and we need help on defense so it seems like a natural formation. The problem is that our options at CDM are lacking, with Eboue being the only midfield player with a defensive mindset. The team could use an upgrade. Ideally we could go out and buy Jeremy Toulalan or a similar player but Wenger's sometimes bizarre use of midfielders (does anyone play at their natural position for more than a game?) suggests it won't happen. He seems content to rotate midfielders which IMHO leaves some of them clueless as to what is expected of them on any given night. Rosicky has to go, he's a luxury, but his value has to be next to nothing right now so I suspect he'll be around for another season, if just to prove his health for a sale next summer.

    Defense
    1 Sagna, Toure, Senderos, Gallas, Song, Silvestre, Djourou, Cliche, Traore, Gibbs
    R Ayling, Ogogo, Steer, Eastmond, Nortveit, Bartley, Bothelo, Gilbert, Cruise, Blackwood, Rodgers, G. Hoyte

    The team is missing Gallas and Cliche right now but even with those starters back in the game, our defense is a weakness. Toure has developed into one of the top defenders in England but he lacks chemistry in the middle with our former captain (and weirdo) Gallas. Wenger seems to like Gallas so we probably won't be selling him, but doing so would benefit the team if we could replace him with another veteran defender. I figure a French team would gladly buy Gallas from us though the selling price might be low. Just to repeat, veterans in the back field are always a plus. Sagna and Gibbs on the sides gives us good speed but we need more reliability in terms of marking on set pieces and clearing the ball out of the box.

    Goalkeeping
    1 Almunia, Fabiansky, Mannone
    R Szczesny, Shea

    I've insisted that we need to upgrade our GK badly but for the past several years Arsenal has been content to use a mediocre keep and focus instead on scoring. Almunia is a good goalie, no doubt, but with the style of football we play we need someone who can save our ass a couple of times a game. Nothing I've seen or heard this season has suggested Wenger has the slightest interest in changing things up, which is a shame.
     
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  10. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    I would love to show Adebayor the back door and receive 15m-20m and look around the market. Wenger did state that Arsenal have the funds for a couple of players but is 'one or two' enough? Vela is definitely one to keep on to as that kid is absolute class. Next season could really be his to bloom and I can't wait to see more action from the kid.

    I was reading a couple of blogs on 606 a couple of days ago and somebody made a thread about Walcott becoming the new Henry. Some of the points the guy made made a lot of sense. Henry came to Arsenal when he was older than Walcott and moved from the left wing (or was it right?) to a striker and then later moved into a roaming striker when he matured (and then later moved). Perhaps Wenger is doing the same with Walcott? Even though they have a different build, both players are extremely pacey, similiar finishing (open their bodys up before side footing it in), and they seem to have the same personality. Who knows?

    If Walcott does eventually move into the foward position, it would obviously mean a reshuffle in the midfield but I think it could work out well. If we find a good holding midfielder this summer, we could have:

    RM: Andrei Arshavin
    CM: [holding midfielder]
    CM: Cesc Fabregas
    LM: Samir Nasri

    or

    RM: Andrei Arshavin
    DM: [holding midfielder]
    AMC: Cesc Fabregas
    LM: Samir Nasri

    This should probably be in the midfielder section... Oh well.

    I totally agree with your views on van Persie. When he's on-form, he's quite possibly one of the best strikers in the league. He reminds me of a Bergkamp-Henry hybrid. I would love to see him stay at the club as I think he could be a key player in the future.

    Eduardo is still surprisingly clinical even after the horrific injury, but is he now prone to getting knocks? Hopefully he won't be plagued by injury for the rest of his career. Bendtner definitely has picked up his game, but is it good enough? If we receive an offer in the 10m+ region, I would let him go in a heartbeat.

    I have been following Pogrebnyak for quite a while since M Two One got me into the RPL. He's a great player but there's alway that worry of him not settling in. Pavlychenko has been struggling at Spurs this season, but on the other end of the spectrum Arshavin has been electric. I wish Defoe was still at Portsmouth because I think he woud be a great purchase and marksman to have up front. He is a pure striker and if you give him the right balls (which we know we can do) he will not squander his chances. That's something we need. Yoann Gourcuff is another good option but it might be hard to pry him from Milan's hands.

    It is incredibly frustrating when we knock the ball around the box and wait for the perfect oppurtunity to score. We definitely need a cocky player up front or in the heart of the midfield and I think Arshavin can help us out with that. He definitely has an eye for goal and won't worry about having a few shots. One thing that does disappoint is that Nasri has lost his 'long shot' side of the game. He used to always unleash outside of the box for Marseille.

    As for the reserves, Simpson is probably the best prospect but we haven't seen much of the others in the higher leagues. Although he's a great player, he isn't the pure type of striker we're looking for right now. Perhaps we could sell some of the youngsters for little cash? Or is that blasphemy in Wenger's eyes?

    I didn't even read this part yet, so you already suggested the diamond formation. I really like the new 'Gerrard' role Fabregas is playing. Even though he doesn't have the same physical presence, I think he can handle himself there. Reading on, you are saying exactly what I thought, so good job! :)

    Wenger does seem to shuffle the midfield quite a lot but I think he's looking for the best areas to play the squad to maximize their performance. I think he's doing this at the end of the season because we have nothing to win and nothing to lose so he is experimenting a bit. Playing Nasri in a defensive role was a good idea but the kid is just too small to be pitted against big players in the Premier League (the Anelka goal is a good example).

    It would be a shame to see Rosicky leave so soon (he's only had around 50 caps), but he definitely needs to go. I wouldn't mind off-loading Denilson and Bischoff (what was he thinking with him?). I know he won't get rid of Denilson, but I honestly think he's crap. Merida and Barazite are great prospects for the future, but we need an experienced player... I'm not waiting another couple of seasons. I like Eboue and he's good for the squad because he's our most flexible player as he can play on the right wing, right back, and central roles. Why, oh why did we get rid of Flamini?

    Prospect-wise, I'd like to see a bid for an experienced Premier League player. Lots of rumors of Alonso leaving, but I'll look around for some more names.


    When we have our starting back four, I believe we have a solid defense but we can't always have it perfect. Clichy is abolute class and Sagna has really shined since coming to Arsenal. Gallas is reaching the end of his years and Toure has been a little bit shakey recently. It's almost as though they don't know what to do when Gallas isn't there. As a replacement for Gallas, I'd love to see Dunne come to the club. He hasn't had as good of a season this year, but I think he can pick up his form. Song is a great player and can also play a defensive role but once we get a couple of new players this season, I can't see a starting position for him anymore. Silvestre should leave, I expect Senderos to sign a contract with Milan, and Traore may go to Spurs (wtf?). I don't think anybody wants to pick up Gallas so we will only get around 7m with all those players leaving.

    Gibbs is definitely a keeper and I can't wait to see him in the future. Again, I'll think of more names to look at this summer.

    [/QUOTE]

    Yep, no class in this section of the squad. Akinfeev is a great choice and would save our ass a shitload of times. As mentioned earlier, it's a bitch to barter with the Russians though.

    OUT:
    Bischoff - <1m
    Denilson - 4-8m
    Adebayor - 15m+
    Rosicky - 1-3m
    Silvestre - <1m

    Total: ~25m

    Enough for a high quality player and I'm sure the directors board will put in a bit more. David Villa here we come! :lol:
     
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  11. La Bomba

    La Bomba The Future

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    Villa has a ridiculous price tag. Real went after him in the summer and made a 50 million euro offer and Valencia said they would only accept it for 50 million + Higuain, who should be around 20 million after the season he had.

    Villa is around 28, too.
     
  12. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    Yeah, he's a great player but that's just too much for anyone - Nevermind 100m+! :)
     
  13. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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    The thing with Walcott is that I don't see him having a natural touch. It is something he is developing. He is great along the sidelines and makes nice cuts, and has good passing instincts (sees lines and paths well). What he doesn't have, IMHO, is a nose for goal, so to speak. When it comes time to finish a sequence he can't be counted on to even put it on net, let alone 'bulge the old onion bag'. When he adds that to his game, assuming he will, comparisons to Henry may be warranted. I find it easy to forget how young he is.

    Which works for me as well, however it leaves us so fucking small. Fabregas and RVP both play like they are 5'8", Nasri and AA are midgets, and right now we don't have muscle up front or in the midfield without giving up class. I like Bendtner now (didn't so much before) but he isn't a power player. It is a necessity that we get a forward with some gusto and a holding midfielder that can win headers and 50/50 balls. Otherwise we're going to continue to get pushed around by the likes of ManU and Chelsea in the midfield and on set pieces.

    Hopefully he becomes less fragile as his body matures. Right now, as with most Dutch players, you can count on him being injured at least once or twice a season.

    Defoe might be too far in the other direction. Its one thing to create good shots and not take them, another to interrupt plays for bad shots. I know you don't mean we go get Defoe specifically but it just illustrates our difficult goal. Wenger is great at picking roses out of concrete but this is a tall task even for him.

    I agree about Nasri as well. Right now he is getting bullied. I don't think he feels like the game is open enough for him to take chances with the ball. Hopefully more confidence comes with more EPL experience.

    Well the team is young enough to keep the roster full for the next six or eight years. With the financial situation for the club as it is, with the stadium bills and all, it would seem selling young players (who probably won't make the regular rotation because of their closeness in age to our stars) makes some sense now. Sell some 18-year olds, pick up some 16-year olds, and use the excess to boost our veteran component.

    Seems like letting Barry go when we could've had him now seems like a mistake.

    Senderos sucks and I don't know how he is even in demand. I'll be happy to never see him in London again, except for interleague play.

    We'll see what happens. Fabianski was terrible last week.

    15 for Adebayor? When everyone knows we want to sell him? Hopeful, maybe. Could we get more for Rosicky, though?
     
  14. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    I can see Adebayor going for quite a large sum. The type of clubs going after him tend to put a lot of money of the table so it's hard to say no.

    Honestly, the thing with Rosicky is that he's been out for so long, he's reaching the end of career, and he hasn't been match fit for... What? A year now? If he comes back next season in full form (which I am doubting) then we might even keep on to him. That still doesn't really give us any strength or presense in the midfield though. Frings would be another good choice because even though he has size and strength, he knows how to play a free flowing game (which we play) and can dictate the tempo of the opponent's game. The only problem is that he's beginning to age and will probably only get three or four "good" seasons out of him. I can't wait to see what Wenger does though.

    I agree with you views on Walcott. It's so easy to forget that he's only 20 (just) and it seems like his style develops game-by-game. He was disappointing against United though. :(
     
  15. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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  16. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    hahahahah

     
  17. speeds

    speeds $2.50 highball, $1.50 beer Staff Member Administrator GFX Team

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  18. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    Bahaha. He so emotionless in life, but once he gets on the pitch he's like a fuckin' soap opera.
     
  19. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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    Any thoughts on the youngsters next season? Will we see more of Vela, Wilshere, Gibbs, and Ramsey?
     
  20. Colonel Ronan

    Colonel Ronan Continue...?

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