Ever since the beginning of this present trophyless era, there has been a persistent series of problems within the Arsenal team which basically seems to be the reason behind The Gunners lack of silverware in recent years.
There are three main components through which these problems arise from and until they are conquered, I’m afraid it might take longer as expected before the trophy drought finally comes to an abrupt end.
1. Defending
Arsenal’s defensive performances pretty much got underway after the road to Paris in 2006. The zonal-marking was employed after this and has been the main reason behind The Gunners’ inability to solidly defend, especially when under pressure.
Tactically, when you tend to mark zonal-mark your opponents, you give them enough space to move the ball around and much needed time to think of how to cause damage.
However, a man-marking approach, with little space off your opponents, will help choke them and cause impatience, which can prompt them to easily give the ball away more easily. This is what I believe the players need to work on. If the midfielders can put in more effort and work tirelessly, things will change for the better.
2. Attack
No defence was capable of holding the likes of Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp, Jose Antonio Reyes, Freddie Ljungberg and Thierry Henry during their peak years at Arsenal, simply because they all possessed a great level of technical ability and skill. Arsene Wenger has struggled in recent years to create a similar strike force, but failed largely due to a reason that is still obscure to me (please state below if you know).
A team that defeats Arsenal nowadays uses one simple tactic. They hassle Wenger’s boys while they park the bus, patiently looking for a chance to counter attack. They frustrate Arsenal players to play out of their own will and eventually take the lead through any opportunity they have – The Gunners’ performances at the San Siro last season, where they lost 4-0 and the humiliating 8-2 defeat against Manchester United last year backs my claim.
But when this problem arises, it requires very technical players to create openings for their team-mates under this duress condition. Despite having technical players at Arsenal, this never seems to change.
3. Motivation
As the saying goes, only two factors can motivate your action, money or love. Manchester United players, with the exception of few, are average players, but yet they do produce excellent performances. Manchester $hity and Chelsky both motivate their stars with money, and the results are there for us to see. And, apparently, Arsenal players arguably lack both factors.
Unless Arsene Wenger is willing to make tweaks to the club’s wage structure, the players’ love for the club will receive much scrutiny. The kind of spirit unleashed whenever the likes of Steven Gerrard, Henry, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, including our very own Jack Wilshere, put on their respective club’s jersey and play/played their hearts out. You will agree with me that if Arsenal had three or four more players that shared the same spirit as Wilshere, Manchester United would have been gunned down last weekend. But it is pathetic to see that the present set of Arsenal players severely lacks the love-factor. Literally, these players are hardly motivated. They may proclaim their love in interviews, but they hardly reveal it on the pitch, especially when it matters most.
I hope Wenger talks real sense into them and make them realise fans are not getting happier every summer – enough of watching our bitter rivals triumph while we bite our fingers in faith.
This article is courtesy of Ayobami’s Blog
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Agree with your 3 points but:
1 Our system of play is wrong. We always play the same, never change whatever the opposition. And the team is normally the best players that are fit. Not who is going to counteract the opposition.
2 Regarding motivation, it’s not money. You only have to look at other teams who are on a lot less money than our players and see how their players run their socks off. The manager should motivate and get his players ‘wound up’ ready for the match. Wenger’s responsibility
To win trophies a team needs:
1) a solid defence where clean sheets are the norm not the exception
2) a midfield that is as good going forward as is defending
3) an attack which is constantly mobile to create spaces for the midfielders and which has to be clinical.
4) fullbacks which can overlap with pace and pass and cross accurately
5) wingers which with pace and dribble can go behind defences and cross with precision.
6) a team which can counter with lightening speed.
7) a team with a lot if depth where the reserves are as good as the others
8) a team that can be made to use plan A, B, C etc instantly on demand
9) a substitution use which can change instantly a useless plan to an effective one, Murinio style.
It’s amazing a draw and we are already talking like we are back on track or won a cup. We have become so average it’s sickening.Then there are people complaining that our wingers can’t cross. For f^&K sakes we have no wingers. Wenger said it himself :”You know we transform all the wingers into central strikers. I decided that during our tour of Asia, when I tried to play him in that position against Man City, I liked what he did and I put that in the back of my mind. Talking about Gervinho and how is that on turning out?
“Walcott did very well today and was one of our best players.
“People forget he was injured and has just come back. We know that he is a great player.”
And when asked of his desire to play as a striker, Wenger quipped:
“Well, a winger is a striker. Not for you? Giroud has Walcott and Podolski with him. We scored two goals. We had more chances and played with three offensive midfielders as well.
Still wonder why our wingers can’t cross?? IF the F^&king manager doesn’t understand their role what do you expect!! And we wonder why this blog is full of suggested formations on where to play players and team selections! It pisses me off that some people on here is brighter than our manager. Then there is the question of buying more players what the f&*K!!! come on guys the names being branded around would not even want to be associated with Arsenal right now. Just think how many players has snub us in the past three years alone. Please Gunner fans do not stoop to this low PLEASE!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!! Just listen to yourselves We don’t really have anything to talk about but the same crap day in and day out. I wish someone can lock me in room alone with Stan Kroenke. I will grab him by his balls and squeeze so hard,He will never ever want to hear about soccer again. That goes for Wenger, Hillwood and Gazidis These guys make me sick, look what we have become this is beyond a joke we are not even average any more. I for one will not put up with this mediocrity, we are better than this. GUNNER FOREVER!!!
just look at the crap wenger has signed in the last two years any wonder arsenal are now mediocre
Watching shakter on tv and thinking arsenal were head and shoulders above them a few seasons ago now like shalker they are head and shoulders above us ,wenger you have a lot to answer for
You forgot to mention Wenger. How can a manager who has repeatedly lost the big games not change his tactics?This has been going on for five yearsaleast. If you check his record against red faced since 2005,it’s really pathetic.
To lose once or twice is acceptable but it has become a regular feature. At any other
top club it’s really unacceptable.
Suffice to say his time will be up shortly if the gunners continue to self destruct if the Schalke reult is a guide.
Oh I forgot to add he is totally against anti soccer.If I remember correctly he said fans came to see pretty soccer which matters more than results.That was when the gunners were leading the epl. Once the gunners failed to challenge,even Feb said sometime you have to park the bus.
Tactically he has lost it.As fans so rightly point out ,it’s attack 100% of the time. He doesn’t know or want to close down games when the gunners are leading. That’s why you have the ridiculous situation where you can’t win despite leading by a comfortable four goals.You don’t find happening to top teams.
There a athousand and one reasons the trophyless run will continue.
Wenger is the major problem for arsenal tropless,he sell the key players without replacing them with better ones.
Wenger is sh*t,pls somebody tell me wat’s wrong with my ARSENAL FC..u cant say we av won even wen we are 2-0 up and is 5mins remaining..wenger and d board are mediocres.
Dumbasses think they know better than Wenger, I guess this is why he is one of the most in demand managers in world football. The truth is wenger will NEVER take what you lot say into consideration because the truth is YOU KNOW NOTHING(compare to him).. This is REAL LIFE, not football manager. Those idiot pundits that criticize wenger at halftime on tv, they can’t even get a job with a championship team and they act like they know better than the man who bought us The Invincibles. How can we forget how the Alex Song that we mourn so much now was once “The worst player to ever don the Red n White”