Written by Mean Lean
on
Friday, 06 January 2012 12:52
Good afternoon or whatever part of the day it is where you are reading this. My fingers are absolutely freezing at the time of typing this and if I wasn't in such a good mood then it is safe to say that I would have closed this laptop and stuck it away in my bag by the time I finished writing 'afternoon'
I read this morning that Wenger will field a strong side on Monday against Leeds United in the FA Cup and I cannot work out if he actually means that he will play the likes of Mikel Arteta again or if he is boosting his fringe players by calling them strong instead of 'the other players that I would rather not play'
While I totally get it that we need to be competitive and go for all trophies, I also know that a sure way to fall off a bike is to stick a metal rod in between a moving bikes wheel. Playing our players without much rotation is asking them to fall off their bikes, or something.
is to use most of your players without much hint of rotation, the result of that is that eventually you will fall off your bike or something.
Arsene has said that Robin van Persie will be given a rest and obviously that is correct. But if that is ok for Robin then I think Mikel Arteta and at least one of Mertesacker or Koscielny need the same. With the likes of Bacary Sagna and Jack the boy Wilshere on the way to full recovery, I kind of would like to see them play alongside other first team players and not a treatment table rotation policy.
I tell you what I would love to see, two youngsters who are natural full backs playing as.. yep, you've guessed it. Full back. Arsene is not one for throwing young players into the first team unless he thinks they are completely ready but I wonder if there is an argument for playing a youngster who may not have finished ticking all the required boxes while maintaining the team's shape and keeping key players in their natural positions.
Our current system demands full backs who get forward and provide width in the opposition half of the pitch. Arsene tends to plump for experience even if that means breaking up his whole back and sticking it back together with sellotape.
Take Nicholas Yennaris for example, he should have been playing consistently at right back for the reserves and already has the momentum of performing those tasks, he should know when the push forward, when to cross and when to drop back. Would Johan Djourou really understand the role more even with the added experience of playing at a higher level? I am not so sure. More importantly it keeps the central defensive partnership together and that could be key although Per Mertesacker has performed very well since he joined the club.
Playing two young full backs at places like Manchester City may well be pushing your luck somewhat but at home against teams that consistently finish below us shouldn't be a huge risk if we manage to play our game. Problems start to happen when we are not able to play our usual game because of players playing in unfamiliar positions.
Not that I am right or anything but it is something that I would love to sit down and discuss with the manager over a cuppa coffee and chocolate biscuit. Trouble is, I just do not have the time for that in my diary right now.
But hey, enough waffling. Guess who's back in the mother Fabianski house? Yup, one Thierry Henry. All the Titi's are crossed and i'z are dotted and so on. He is ready for some Leeds United action, does anyone fancy giving me their tickets? I mean Monday is an awful day to go to the game with work the next day and so on. Also, if you think today is cold then imagine a Monday evening. Click the contact button and just do yourself a favour I say.
Those expecting Sir Terence Henry to bang out 90 minutes as Robin's deputy may end up a little disappointed. Can you really drop a 34 year old who hasn't played a minute of Premier League action for about five years? I am not so sure you can. I have already stated this but I shall blurgh it out once more but I would be surprised if Thierry actually starts any games for us over the course of his stay.
If I am incorrect on that then it will be a pleasant surprise.
Arsene Wenger has hinted that not much in the way of action will be happening during this January window.
“At the moment nothing, we don't have a concrete case but we don't rule it out, [A loan defender is] the likely scenario, yes.
“[I am expecting a] quiet [market]. Europe is depressed and there is not a lot of money available, only some clubs who have exceptional resources. Let's say that clubs who are not linked with the economic environment at the moment can buy!”
Without having checked out any blogs today so far, I can be sure that those words would have caused somewhat of a stir, especially after Ivan Gazidis saying that we have kept some of our famous powder dry.
Obviously we have some cash locked away for transfers if need be and it is not worth getting too worked up about what Arsene says. The thing is we can guess how Arsene works, if he wants a forward then he will want a certain type of forward. He will have his eye on particular players and if he can get them then he will do so, if he cannot then he won't just go and buy a forward because he needs to. This isn't to say that this always works as I can see you holding up your Francis Jeffers posters but we do not know the situation of his targets in whatever positions at whatever clubs.
Perhaps said super striker will be available in the summer and our approaches for whichever players have been privately rebuffed. I don't know and I am sure you do not know either.
I am still crossing my fingers that we can find what we need during this January so let us wait and see what happens.
Ok, got stuff to do. Back tomorrow I guess.
Arsenal News 24/7
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