After 17 years of uninterrupted qualification for the Champions league, it looks increasingly like Arsenal will crash and burn this season, with Everton capitalising on the Gunners' inconsistent form. Arsene Wenger's midas touch appears to have vanished this season, and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes that Arsenal's fatal lack of pace is the main reason for the London club's struggles.
Discussing Arsenal's demise on Monday Night Football, Carra insisted that Arsenal's current form is 'worrying', and highlighted the lack of 'power and pace'. He explained:
"This is probably one of the slowest Arsenal teams I've seen under Arsene Wenger and that's a massive worry for them. Watching this team I look at it and think it's weak and slow. If you haven't got that pace and strength in your team, it's going to be difficult"
Is pace really the issue? Apart from Theo Walcott, none of Arsenal's other players are particularly fast. Walcott is a miss, but losing one player with pace is (arguably) not the reason for Arsenal's struggles.
This same set of players (bar Walcott) received massive plaudits earlier in the season for their performances, and propelled Arsenal to the top of the league. Now, all of sudden they're 'weak and slow'?
Aaron Ramsey is arguably a bigger loss than Walcott. He's not particularly fast, but his goals, assists, and link-up player are missed by Wenger's side, and it's no coincidence that the Gunners' downward spiral has coincided with Ramsey's spell on the sidelines.
Like many other LFC fans, I'm sure, I've loved watching Arsenal over the years, and for me, Wenger is a genius manager. As such, I hope Arsenal pull it out of the fire and clinch fourth place in the Premier League at Everton's expense.
An FA Cup win will also be welcome, as that would probably mean Wenger stays at Arsenal next season. I can't imagine the Prem without Wenger; it's not the same without Ferguson, and it won't be the same if the Frenchman leaves too.
Author: Jaimie K
Discussing Arsenal's demise on Monday Night Football, Carra insisted that Arsenal's current form is 'worrying', and highlighted the lack of 'power and pace'. He explained:
"This is probably one of the slowest Arsenal teams I've seen under Arsene Wenger and that's a massive worry for them. Watching this team I look at it and think it's weak and slow. If you haven't got that pace and strength in your team, it's going to be difficult"
Is pace really the issue? Apart from Theo Walcott, none of Arsenal's other players are particularly fast. Walcott is a miss, but losing one player with pace is (arguably) not the reason for Arsenal's struggles.
This same set of players (bar Walcott) received massive plaudits earlier in the season for their performances, and propelled Arsenal to the top of the league. Now, all of sudden they're 'weak and slow'?
Aaron Ramsey is arguably a bigger loss than Walcott. He's not particularly fast, but his goals, assists, and link-up player are missed by Wenger's side, and it's no coincidence that the Gunners' downward spiral has coincided with Ramsey's spell on the sidelines.
Like many other LFC fans, I'm sure, I've loved watching Arsenal over the years, and for me, Wenger is a genius manager. As such, I hope Arsenal pull it out of the fire and clinch fourth place in the Premier League at Everton's expense.
An FA Cup win will also be welcome, as that would probably mean Wenger stays at Arsenal next season. I can't imagine the Prem without Wenger; it's not the same without Ferguson, and it won't be the same if the Frenchman leaves too.
Author: Jaimie K
Arsenal's injury woes this season prove that Wenger hasn't been given enough money in the transfer windows. Whether by his own volition or not, the truth is that they've rested on his laurels for too long without success in the transfer window (either through lack of spending or simply getting the wrong players with what they have spent).
ReplyDeleteThey don't have the depth, but at the same time, few times would be able to overcome the rash of injuries that have hit them recently.
Ramsey, Walcott, Wilshere, Ozil... all out for extended periods of time, and, more importantly, at the same time.
Have to say they were pretty drab against Everton on Sunday, and no team vying for top four should be so soundly beaten repeatedly by it's main rivals. Wenger displays a certain tactical rigidity and I feel he's been shown up a bit in some of the big games. But he's presided over some brilliant teams in his time that have been hugely entertaining, and let's not forget that Arsenal were flying for the first few months of the season. They've had some injuries to key players - without Walcott they lack pace. But I'd say their main issue has been the lack of a decent forward. Giroud is pretty average, and he's just way too pedestrian to work up front on his own. How they would have loved to get Suarez.
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing is that Arsenal are 4 points ahead after 33 games compared to last season.
ReplyDeleteNot the same without Wenger and SAF? That's the point. It shouldn't be the same. Everybody ages out eventually. Now we're all hoping it's Brendan Rodgers' time and we'll see who rises with him. Mourinho's not going anywhere, but it is increasingly becoming apparent that he's only a good manager because he has been gifted a bottomless bank account with which to purchase talent...not grow it. He wouldn't be MOURINHO if he were trying to keep Fulham afloat. Other than that there is new managerial talent rising that will carve out their own legendary status...and if MANU and Arsenal aren't careful that talent will replace their team legacies with their own. Rodgers, Martinez and Pochettino are building teams through sheer managerial talent. It would not surprise me to see Martinez and Pochettino moving to bigger clubs as owners recognize their talent for what it is.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how confident Mourinho is when he has a billion to spend.
ReplyDeleteWould love to see his smug face managing a side like Fulham. Then we'd really get to see how good he is... or better yet, see him get exposed as a conceited fraud.
I think Ramsey was a huge loss for them, he was bagging a ton of goals and assists before he got injured. I don't really agree with Carragher though, I just think Giroud is not up to it.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Champions League, Chelsea's semi finals come either side of their trip to Anfield - advantage Liverpool?
ReplyDeleteThose injuries are bad and would be for any team but how often have those players (plus Wilshire) been injured? How often is Gibbs injured? In the end you have to ask if their medical team are right and fitness coaches are right?
ReplyDeleteWatching Chelsea tonight made me realise why big fat Sam is as arrogant as he is. If he had Mourinho money to spend would he have his team doing any different?
ReplyDeleteThat point has been made a few times now and I think it could. Especially if they are very difficult games. On the other hand getting in to a winning run could help.
ReplyDeleteIf they fail for to qualify for Europe, we should def put in some sneaky, and very quite bids for Ramsey and Chamberlain
ReplyDeleteI agree Giroud is average at best.
ReplyDeletePeople love to act the fucking expert on Arsenal. Does my head in.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the argument for getting rid of Wenger, but it is so annoying to hear these people just sit silent for the whole year and then each season they all stick their oar in at once talking about how Wenger is some kind of simpleton.
I think it'd be a shame if a new manager came in for Arsenal now and was able to benefit from the stability Wenger has brought during an economic fallow period.
Most of all, it'd be a shame to say goodbye to someone who has enriched English football enormously.
Whatever happens this season, Arsene Wenger is a true great of the game.
Conceited? Definitely. Fraud? Very harsh. He has cherry picked his jobs since Porto, but he has earned that right. I dislike the man, but he is, on balance, an excellent manager.
ReplyDeleteI think Giroud has been ok its just laughable with Arsenals lack of support for him.
ReplyDeleteThey are definitely weak...watching the highlights of Arsenal playing us, Chelsea and Everton all felt like the same game. Arsenal has the ball...it gets stolen off them in the midfield...it gets moved up to the final third then goes in the back of the net. When they had Ramsey and Wilshere in there they looked a good team, now they've got a bunch of individuals who only look good on paper, and they're falling apart. PS Ibraheem, you've got the right idea...I used to watch Ramsey at Cardiff and would've killed for Pool to sign him, and look at him now...if only we'd got him.
ReplyDeleteWhere is 40 million Ozil now eh? Saw Cavani last night too. 65 million? Someone got robbed. Anyway, as much as I'd love to see the toffees beat Arsenal to the punch I don't think it will happen. Arsenal have the easiest run in ever imaginable whereas Everton still have both Manchester clubs to play.
ReplyDeleteEverytime I've watched Arsenal play a top 5 team, he's missed a huge chance at a really pivotal point in the game.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, since Porto, he's cherry picked the jobs... and his biggest issue he's had since then has been how to meld some of the best players in the world together, or how to spend one of the top transfer budgets in the world.
ReplyDeleteThere's a reason why teams are willing to get rid of him after a few years... and that's because they feel like they can live without his nonsense.
Granted, he's still being hired... but my point is that teams get tired of him... and if he was that "special", they'd be willing to tolerate his antics a lot more.
Again, put him in a situation where he doesn't have the world class roster or the large budget, and let's see what he can do.
We saw that at Porto though and he won the UEFA Cup and European Cup back-to-back.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the man and often in 'greatest manager of all time' debates I've denigrated him for the lack of long-term focus and sustainability in his approach, but he has still won 2 European Cups, won the title in 4 different countries, won the UEFA cup and beat Pep's Barcelona, one of the greatest teams of all-time, to the league title, if only once.
ramsey would be awesome.
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