View From The Sphere

Is Wenger really to blame for our defensive downfalls?

|

Arsene WengerIn the aftermath of Sunday’s temporary setback, critics have predictably piled on Arsene Wenger for our defensive failings. However, he wasn’t the one on the field – Thomas Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal and others were. Say what you will about offside traps or zonal vs. man-marking or formation – it comes down to some pretty fundamental footballing in my book.

Our boys are paid handsomely and, rather than looking too far up the hierarchy, we do have to point the finger of blame in the proper direction. Simply put, a player at this level should not allow an opponent to make a run behind him without tracking him (in man-marking) or making absolutely sure that a team-mate has picked him up (in zonal marking). Similarly, a defender MUST close on the man who has possession of the ball.

In each of Spurs’ goals, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon were allowed to make unmarked runs directly through the heart of our defence and receive unchallenged passes inside the 18.

On Bale’s goal, no one closes on Gylfi Sigurdsson, allowing him plenty of time to make eye contact with Bale and place the ball perfectly. Given his form, as well as his position on the pitch, it is unconscionable that Mikel Arteta allows him to slip through unmarked. The fact that so many players rage for an offside call is similarly distressing. More on that in minute.

Lennon, who had been dangerous in flashes in the first half, more so than Bale to that point, starts from about 30-yards out, runs in front of Monreal, who releases him, and behind Vermaelen, who simply does not notice him. The pressure on Scott Parker is half-hearted, allowing him ample time and space to see Lennon’s run and play the pass through.

Whether this comes down to systems, tactics, or coaching is beside the point. We should expect players at this level to understand some basic concepts – Communicate. Follow runners. Close on the ball. Play the whistle. The fact that they didn’t depends less on the coach or the system and more on the players. If Arteta is marking Bale in a zonal system, why release him? Especially towards goal with his pace and finishing – without knowing that someone has picked him up? Did Monreal call out to Vermaelen before releasing Lennon? It’s hard to tell from the clip. There’s one moment after Lennon’s goal in which we see Per Mertesacker and Vermaelen facing upfield – there’s no sign of any discussion about what just happened. This doesn’t mean that the players didn’t talk, just that we don’t see it on camera. If Vermaelen, as the captain and as the one who didn’t realize that a player ran behind him, did not bring defenders in to talk and to get everyone back on the same page, then the armband comes off, simple as that. Promote Arteta and give Jack Wilshere the vice-captain’s role.

After a goal, there’s a good thirty seconds to a minute for celebrations and getting the ball back to midfield and so on. If our keeper and our captain don’t use that time to figure out what happened and prevent it from happening, we’ll continue to see what we saw – two essentially identical goals, two minutes apart.

At the coaching level, if we were playing an offside trap against two of the fastest players in the Premier League, I do have some questions for Wenger and Steve Bould. At the players’ level, we don’t have the speed in our back-line to recover if it fails. We’re playing at White Hart Lane, and the home team can usually expect a few calls to go their way. Even if that’s not the case, expecting players to communicate over the sound of the fans well enough to maintain an offside trap may just be a fools errand. That does come down to coaching, but it also comes down to the players on the field.

It’s a shame too, because other than those two plays, and a spell of a few minutes at around the 25′ mark, we were looking impressive, probing, passing, attacking, and defending with verve and energy.

Still, as bad as it felt, it’s not as bad as it seems. We may have lost this battle, but the war itself remains undecided.

Like what you read? Then follow me on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/woolwich_1886

Visit and Join our Facebook page, click HERE to do so.

Gunnersphere is currently looking for new writers to join the squad. Contact via twitter or at Gunnersphere@snack-media.com for further details.

Share this article

22 comments

  • Sivuyile says:

    Gr8 article… Our defenders are getting away with murder. Basic defending proves to b difficult. Wenger always blamed for individual mistakes.

  • rob says:

    Who else? Who bought the players in the first place? Who has overseen the demise of the best defensive unit in the top flight and done nothing about it? Who refuses to spend money on players like Vertonghen? Think of the partnership he and Vermaelen could have formed. Who is a complete dictator who won’t admit there is a problem and let Bould (a member of that sublime defence of the past) take over the training of the defence? If he had any hair, Bould would have been tearing it out on Sunday at the amateurish performances from the defenders. It was absolute schoolboy tactics which they were getting wrong, not the intricacies of a perfectly timed offside trap (once known universally as ‘the Arsenal offside trap’). Finally how can Arsenal let Spurs go and buy one of the world’s best goalkeepers? Lloris came of his line like a train at any sign of danger, to the point where Peter Schmeichel was praising him on Twitter. Wenger Wenger Wenger.

    • Will says:

      “how can Arsenal let Spurs go and buy one of the world’s best goalkeepers?” lol. So you suppose spurs have to ask Arsenal’s permission to buy players? you twat, you think the goons have any say in what spurs do.

      • rob says:

        I’m a Spurs fan you bell end. If Arsenal really wanted Lloris, or if Wenger would admit their present goalie isn’t good enough they could have easily signed the player with a higher transfer fee and wages. If you don’t realise that then you are the twat.

  • Bt62 Gooner says:

    The personnel at the back change over the seasons,but the same problems persist.Not just at the back but all over the pitch.Steve Bould has only started coaching the first team this season(supposedly)the defending or lack of has been going on far longer.Only one person responsible,he buys the players,he lets them away with it, insteaded of dropping the culprits,he allows it to continue.Why? because the alternatives he has are just as bad if not worse, and who is responsible for that Arsene Wenger.HE BUYS THE PLAYERS!!!!!

  • James says:

    If defenders are making isolatory mistakes every now and then, not a problem – but it’s been the same mistakes for 5 years irrespective of the players playing. If you’re so illogical and biased that you cannot see the root cause is coaching/management – Wenger’s responsibility – you’re not fit to write a blog.

  • john says:

    just a thought but imo, Wenger has never built a defence of any quality. He inherited a great one with great leaders that with minor alterations survived for quite some time and when the old guard finally left, their influence remained for a while but not forever.

    it was basically downhill at the back from the moment that defence began to break up and he hasn’t once been able to work out a way of halting the decline.

    The difference between him and Fergie is that Fergie worked miracles with bad players. Wenger has been blessed with great players and built great teams but very rarely has he done anything positive with a player the calibre of say Wes brown. he was never world class but he did his job when he played and rarely got lambasted. you could count on him. can’t say that for all of those in arsenal shirts who have filled the back four positions. 5 if you count keepers.

  • john coomber says:

    sell walcott no football brain use varmaelen as a sweeper forget offside get mertesacker to head away before the ball bounces vermaelen always last man who calls the line

  • dean0002 says:

    YES! And Bould is no better. The one is over the hill. And the other both looks and sounds like a moron! I don’t pretend to be an expert but I am a customer (ie. a paying fan) of just six years standing. (Yes.) I’ve seen some great performances but otherwise a period of continued decline. We’re now in a truly precipitous position. Any other similar situation or company OR football club would have seen heads roll! Even if we scrape forth place, we must demand structural change. COYG

  • atid says:

    i honestly believe that the defensive issues are born from 2 factors. 1 is the defence pushing up due the frustration of witnessing the continued failings of 2nd rate strikers. 2 is th3 defenders themselves are not of the ability that we are used of at arsenal. however when u look at the rivalsntil sunday w4 had the best away defence in the league and 2nd best overall. the plain simple fact is that the most popular formation ie used by most clubs is one that favours an attacking open game. it leaves defences vunerable and having to adopt zonal marking which really shows up players weaknesses.
    if our back up front was walcott giroud podolski u would be reasonably happy as it is its chamberlain gervinho arshavin ho basically do not have goals in them. if we had a beast in place of arteta with wilshire and cazorla complementing him we would have more balance and a back up set of midfielders in coquelin arteta diaby ramsey rosicky that could come from the bench. ion paper the defence appears quitestrong but as a unit on the pitch they are complete strangers. this needs to be addressed in the summer and communication is key here. if they cant speak english then what the hell are they doing here in the first place. my w9fe is a nurse and has basically had to improv4 her english to eqrn 18k a year. so why cant footballers on 50-100k a week be expected to do the same.
    one final thing next season is wengers last in his current contract i am certqin he will be offered another but i expect wholesale changes of the playing and coaching staff again. the under 18s have had 3 managers this season as have the under 21s. with brady going as well im expecting many more to follow. i can see upwards of 20 players leaving this summer i reckon 10 from the first team squad and 10+ from the academy. fabianski squillaci santos denilson arshavin park bendtner chamakh are certs with mannone sagna diaby rosicky gervinho ryo all possibilities. shea hajrovic henderson boateng galindo are all certainties with monteiro rees ebicilio wynter bhimoutine fagan jeffrey neita ansah wellington charles-cook all further possibilities

  • Sharkey says:

    Most of the commenters on here are smarter than the guy who wrote the blog. As a Yid (yes, I’m on here gloating, but not trolling) it’s painfully obvious that all your problems trace back to Wenger.

    As others have noted: he inherited the best defense in Europe and for a long time he could rely on gradually replacing elements without having to entirely rebuild. But the last really great defender he signed was Campbell (I guess our WHL curses worked in the end). Since then it’s been inferior replacements and a slow but irreversible decline.

    What about your keeper? He’s crap. In fact, you haven’t had a decent keeper since Lehmann. How long is that? 2008?

  • Hootspur says:

    Yep I’m a Spurs supporter too, but no gloating. 10 games to go and Wenger is being pilloried, AVB praised, but the fat lady hasn’t started singing yet.

    Do you notice how Arsenal are morphine into the Spurs of old? We are not the finished article but we have pinched 3 great players from under your noses – that never used to happen. We bought the expensive donkeys in the past, now it’s your turn.

    You had the mental toughness, we bottled it. Say no more!

    Apart from Santi Cazorla, in the last 3 transfer windows Mr W hasn’t brought anyone to the Emirates whom I would like to see at WHL.

    Best comment of the lot is John’s (all of his contributions are pretty sound), Mr W inherited the strongest defence in the PL, held things together by pinching OurSol, but since then? I used to rate Vermaelen, but I’m not sure he’d get in our squad. Mertesacker may have the build of Adams, but is a pale reminder of a great player.

    Here’s hoping they offer Mr W a 10 year contract. PS Anyone lost a banana?

    • Hootspur says:

      For morphine read morphing but maybe some of your lads seemed a bit out of it?

    • rob says:

      John is wrong. The invincibles Cole, Toure, Campbell and Lauren were a good lineup and none of those were down to Graham.

      • Cyrus75 says:

        I think Wenger spends far too much time battling with his zip on his big puffa jacket, he did this against Newcastle and again on Sunday!

        Once he beats his zip the rest will follow!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *