Written by Mean Lean on Saturday, 18 February 2012 22:30

Unfortunately, that was the performance and result that had been knocking on my head before kick off today. The more I tried to push it out, the more vivid the picture became.

Beating Sunderland last week, then suffering with a crushing defeat in Milan would lead to a tired, scrappy, and disjointed performance. I predicted pre match that van Persie would be rested and now I wish he was. Our players need to sharpen up, need to recharge their batteries because we are not good enough right now.

We had a front three this afternoon full of pace, skill and goals but we looked far from that. Gervinho can beat players with his eyes closed yet failed to escape his full back once. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain like every Arsenal player on the day had no time and no space on the ball to lift his head and pick passes. Martin O'Neill adopted AC Milan's tactic of doubling up on our wide men which blunted our attacks.

Laurent Koscielny has just improved further without kicking a ball. We looked less assured when balls were played over the top, we missed Koscielny's pace and his decisiveness at crucial moments. Johan Djourou was often hesitant on the ball which could be attributed to his lack of recent games but he often took one touch too many and it was his dwelling on the ball that caused him to bring down a Sunderland player outside our penalty box and the resulting free kick lead to Richardson deflecting his shot off Squillaci.

Our passing was not quick enough nor creative enough on the day and because of that we were unable to move Sunderland out of position. We have gone two games without creating enough chances and that is a problem. I felt for Chamberlain who gave his all but could not influence the game. He bundled the ball into his own net in the second half but at least he bust a gut to get back and make up for his error in losing the ball out wide.

We should have had at least one penalty but as is the case for us right now, nothing is going for us.

Arsene made an interesting looking change late in the game, a change that many people have wanted to see happen. Walcott joining van Persie up front with two wide players. Theo Walcott made a few diagonal runs but we just couldn't get the ball to him. I don't even think that van Persie and Walcott exchanged passes in the time they were both on the pitch.

A 2-0 defeat, injuries rearing their ugly head once more. When it rains it pours and quite frankly, I am getting fed up with the rain at this point in the season. Francis Coquelin deserves playing time and it is such a shame that he will miss another round of matches.

I have to apologise for the lack of thoughts in this piece, but as you can imagine it has been a little draining mentally and I am not really in the mood to analyse anything in great detail.

The players now have a week to rest and recuperate, the flood of negativity has to be stopped before the damage is too large to fix. As much as we all want a trophy, the priority this season has always been to get back into the top four. If the team continue to play the way they have in the last two games then it will be very unlikely but we know that this team can and should produce better than they have in the last week.

Get them back on the training ground, release those shackles and get back to playing with confidence. Quickly.

• Add New
• RSS

Comments (23)

• 18-Feb-2012 22:56 | | Peter Mills  - Sunderland
  

  I'm an Everton fan, so realise this is not my place, but would just like to comment on Oxlade-Chamberlain's own goal. Watch it on telly, and see the guy's desire to get back to his goal line before cocking it up. Good on him, he could easily have hidden.

• 18-Feb-2012 23:04 | | MeanLean
  

  Peter you are spot on and I mentioned that in the above article. A few of the senior players could have taken a leaf out of his book in Milan.
  
  As you are here, there was an interesting conversation going on earlier which is quite related.
  
  If you had the chance, would you swap David Moyes for Arsene Wenger? Explain your reasons for not or for swapping.
  
  Cheers

• 18-Feb-2012 23:23 | | Colesy
  

  Peter, you make a good point about AOC tracking back -especially at that stage of the game. I don't know how many others watching on tv noticed that soon after coming on, Rosicky failed to run back to help the defence when SFC were on the attack, choosing to jog back instead. Sums up the mental strength of sum players perhaps?

• 18-Feb-2012 23:28 | | MeanLean
  

  What I failed to do was congratulate Sunderland for an unbelievable effort off the ball. They might have sat off us for large spells but they worked so hard as a team to win it back. After our midweek game it was just impossible to match them and it showed.

• 18-Feb-2012 23:46 | | Northbanksy
  

  Sure the players were weary, sure it was another ploughed field to play on ( 3 in a week), but yet again another predictable (well organised ) response to another predictable ineffective Arsenal performance. Everyone knows that Arsenal only have one way of playing which is why we are so easy to play against....1) Let them have as much posession in their own half as they like 2) close them down quickly & don't give them time or space to play their passing game 3) hit them on the break when they lose the ball & their disorganised defence are out of position. Yawn!!!

• 18-Feb-2012 23:48 | | lee
  

  your pain is only just beginning SPURS are going to rip you a brand new one next week in front of 58000 filthy gooners. Beautiful

• 19-Feb-2012 00:21 | | Don
  

  This week the Arsenal players are weary.Last week no one mentioned Sunderland were weary after extra time in their FA cup replay.Strange that. Sundeland won because they wanted it more.Wenger losing the dressing room you bet he is.

• 19-Feb-2012 00:24 | | MeanLean
  

  Hmm, popping down the road to play your neighbours may well be a little different to travelling to AC Milan in the Champions League.

• 19-Feb-2012 10:12 | | Gino92
  

  I feel your pain ML. The attitude of our players needs to change big time, and quickly. To win the game, you simply have got to score more than your opponent. Yet, we pass the ball around from side to side, back to the goalie most of the games against both Milan and Sunderland. Apart from Rosicky who at least tried but failed miserably, we had nobody willing to drive the team forward and make something, anything happen. That is appalling. Even though Arshavin drives us all nuts giving the ball away too cheaply and not tracking back, I am begining to think that we might need him in the CAM position to unlock some of these impenetrable defenses for us. We can't really do any worse performance-wise, as we've done these last two games. Time for a new idea, Arsene?
  
  After watching Ryo score his amazing goal for Bolton, I wished we still had him at Arsenal right about now... Oh well, there is always next season.

• 19-Feb-2012 11:02 | | Gooner'79
  

  @Mean Lean, only problem is that whilst it is a different prospect playing Sp*rs to AC Milan, the same problem remains: we'll be facing an in-form team at the wrong time. With all the injuries we have (again), plus the failure of the team to listen to it's own advice and "fight" and also the general bad-vibes, I can't see us winning next Sunday. It's a sad thought but it's undeniable at the stage.

• 19-Feb-2012 13:51 | | Gio
  

  The attidude has been the same for the past 5 years - good when they are winning. Hiding chicknsh(£$£t when there is a whiff of things going wrong.
  
  They say a team relects its manager. Arsene Wenger is a clueless, tactically inept and sadly reduced to panic on the sidelines at the first sign of adversity.
  
  Is it any surprise the team is exactly the same.
  
  The biggest problem at Arsenal is the truly evil myth of a self suficiency policy. Its an excuse for the mega rich to get richer at the expense of the ans.
  
  Teh second biggest problem is the manager. A once great football messiah, he has stayed far too long at Arsenal. No excuse about lack of investment can hide the performance in the past two games (and I wont speak about Manure 8-2, Newcastle 4-4, Spuds 4-4, 3-3 etc etc etc).
  
  Anyone who thinks that other managers could not get this group of players to do better than Wenger is, at this stage, simply deluding themselves.
  
  Everything changes. Face it. The time or change at Arsenal is not now. IT was 3 years ago. All of us, manager, fans and players are suffering the consequnces of this inertia.

• 19-Feb-2012 13:56 | | Colesy
  

  Never has Spectrum's "In Arsene We Rust" comment been more apt.

• 19-Feb-2012 15:33 | | Rahul
  

  Mean Lean,
  
  Loved your comment in the Guardian on that bs Taylor piece.
  
  Thank you.
  
  You are Soul Brother Number 1.

• 19-Feb-2012 17:48 | | colesy
  

  Rahul you have jumped to the defence of your mate ML but upon reading his comments on the Guardian website, all he has done in defending AW is have a go at the media for bigging up 'king kenny' and gary cahill but also moaning about the money the scum have spent. Not particularly intelligent and thought out reasons why Wenger should be supported, or why he's right doing what he's doing.
  
  Instead it appears more like a diversion away from the question.
  
  The Wenger supporters seem to back their man to the hilt when everything seems rosy (i.e. on the back of a victory) but when the storm is brewing, the soundbites dry up. The stats go against them and it's pure 100% defensive mode which entails pointing the blame at everyone or anyone bar their man.

• 20-Feb-2012 03:20 | | Bilderberg  - The Wenger Myth
  

  If you take George Graham's players out of the mix it's possible he wouldn't have lasted two years. Introducing spaghetti does not warrant the Sport Professor tag. Our injuries indicate the depth of poor back room staff. From the day he let Gilberto go it the writing was on the wall that he was about to embark on the worst decline of one of the greatest English football clubs. Ironically Fabregas was the catalyst that enabled him to fool so many for so long and to lead him to believe he could create young players of the same standard and form his dream (sic) team. From the terraces we could see it failing year after year but again and again he held so much capital at the club that he was held impervious. (David Dein was the last person able to tell him how to act on behalf of our club) his inability to man manage saw Gallas and Adebayor thrown out. His blindness/lack of real football knowledge saw some of the worst signings any major club has made in the last five years. Players have arrived showing a willingness to go forward and been stunted in their development. Tactically inept and apparently stubbornly sticking to a pre game scripted substitution list he flatters to deceive as a football manager and is a disgrace to the Arsenal legacy.
  We have seen our team weakened beyond belief whilst our arch enemies have risen unchallenged by Wenger. That says it all.

• 20-Feb-2012 05:38 | | Zayed  - Stop being Hypocritical
  

  Arsenal fans need to stop being Hypocritical.. its ridiculous. We lose Djouru and Squillaci are to blame, but we never really blame vermaelen (not targeting you ML just saying). He has been awful these past two games and if it was anyone else we wouldent have heard the end of it. What makes it worse is he had the nerve to complain about being played at LB when the team needed him, not sure if the quotes are true but that was plain childish. Anyway all that matters is that we finish top four so players don't leave, I think I would have rather lost this game than last week.
  
  Also I have full faith in Wenger but why doesn't he play park and arshavin!?!?

• 20-Feb-2012 09:55 | | 'desi'gner gooner
  

  @Colesy - you say why is it that Wenger supporters disappear whenever there is a loss - well I would say for the very same reason the doomers disappear whenever there is a win or a good run going.....And believe me they really do find their rat holes whenever there is a good run going on. Atleast some of the Wenger supporters show up whenever there is a loss.
  
  And by the way it is plain stupid of the doomers to blame everything on the manager when they clearly are not in the know-how of what goes on behind the scenes with the board and at the top with someone like Kroenke.....
  But I would like to believe what people like Liam Brady and Winterburn have alluded to for quite a while now - that Wenger is not given the money to spend - as simple as that. Wenger himself uncharacteristically pointed out recently as to how he is compelled to make a 'profit' of 15million pounds for the club. But then doomers are well doomers.....so lets not try and put any sense into them. We had a very nice statistical article recently on this blog as to how 'arsenal in constant decline' is such a myth and the responses that article got very clearly reflected that no amount scientific proof is gonna cut much ice with the doomers. They are obsessed with the manager's head and no amount of logical argument will suffice for them. So whats the point in any discussion when some have agreed to disagree whatever the situation!!!
  
  Meanwhile I am pretty sure that the doomers are out numbered by sensible fans who know that the situation we find ourselves in is not Wenger's doing. Yeah he is partly to blame but the majority of the blame lies elsewhere. Seeing talents like Wilshere, Ramsey, AOC, Ryo, Miquel, Coq, Frimpong set to become the nucleus of this side in the not so distant future - I am sure Wenger is the man for the job if these youngsters are to realize their potential. Yes re-inforcements are needed and I am sure they will be made along with clearing out the mediocre players in the summer.
  And I just feel if that is not the case in the summer then the doomers wish might well come true cause I can see Wenger handing in his papers.....Being the honourable and thorough professional guy that he is - that will be his last resort but then whats the point in carrying on for one more season knowing that you are going to battle without any weapons....He's done that for a good three to four seasons now and it wouldn't make any sense continuing like that...

• 20-Feb-2012 12:06 | | Tony  - Bilderberg what are you talking about?
  

  @ Bilderberg; "a disgrace to the Arsenal legacy"? If you can control yourself to stop ranting for a minute and tell me this please; what legacy would that be?
  Arsenal broke all the mold at arsenal -and many more in English football- since he took over. As for his ineptness and worst signing of any manager in the last 5 yrs, i just may excuse you that -seeing as you must have been 10 yrs old 5 yrs ago... I can't think of no other reason why you'll make such a comment, or come out with all that rubish in your post for that matter.
  Never thought i would ever say this, but colesy's comments sounds almost enlightened and decent compared to your rubish.

• 20-Feb-2012 12:50 | | Colesy
  

  thanks Tony !! (p.s. I get the sarcasm)

• 20-Feb-2012 12:55 | | Colesy
  

  Desi'gner Gooner - You write as though the AKB's are blessed with 'inside' knowledge and that somehow you are closer to the events going on inside the club when in actual fact, all you can do is refer to favourable and supportive quotes from ex-players and the like.
  
  What about the quotes which have been questioning Wenger from people such as Petit, Bergkamp, Hartson, Graham etc???
  
  1-1 I'd say.
  
  Truth is, you know nothing more than the Doomers. By the way, when did you last count the numbers on both sides to help you reach your assumption that you're in the majority????

• 20-Feb-2012 14:31 | | 'desi'gner gooner  - reading the fine print.........
  

  @Colesy - i completely agree that I have as much inside knowledge as the doomers.....but I did not quote selectively at all. I have read the comments of Petit, Bergkamp and Graham. Hartson I haven't.
  
  Both Bergkamp and Petit have mentioned that Wenger IS THE RIGHT MAN for the job but the team he has right now simply lacks steel. Well I am not paraphrasing them but that is gist of what they both have said. Yes the headlines have been sensational by the papers but the finer print of their comments is essentially that. Graham has stated that it is time for Wenger to spend on quality even if it means spending big. Now unfortunately for the doomers - none of them are asking for Wenger's head. Infact all of them are saying that Wenger is the man for the job but he needs to spend money and bring in quality cause he is fighting with blunt swords at the moment....And we all know where the money comes from Colesy unless the doomers think it does from Wenger's pocket...

• 20-Feb-2012 18:18 | | Bilderberg
  

  @Tony. My first game at Highbury was 54 years ago. Even Roy Keane believes this is the worst Arsenal team he's ever seen. There has been money to spend but the fundamental philosophy of grooming young players failed a long time ago and the loss of David Dein is more than significant. I don't know which part of the Emirates you occupy but having access to both the 'singing section' and Upper North Bank' not to mention I pay the club for every Premiership away game and the majority of people around me have despaired at Wengers ineptness for a long time. I stayed to the bitter end of a thrashing at the Mancs and all the other dire results this year.
  Teams and other supporters have come to see what has been staring us in the face for a long time.
  Even during barren times we were never mediocre. This team is mediocre. They are not Gunners.

• 20-Feb-2012 22:35 | | Tony  - @ Bilderberg and Colesy
  

  @ Bilderberg; i have never been to an Arsenal game before -I live in Nigeria- and have only been a fan for 15 odd years, does that answer your questions? Does it make me less a fan of the club than you are?... I can asure though that i love the Arsenal every bit -maybe even more- as you do, and will give whatever it takes right now in terms of money,commitment and time to be able to watch them play live(win or lose).
  I do apologize for that dig at your age -couldn't help it, and maybe you need to read your previous comment and in all honesty see if your evaluations were all right. We're all hurting and fustrated, but that does not call for making outlandish and often destructive comments about a man that has given the better part of 15yrs of his life in making the great Arsenal part of what it is today.
  @ Colesy; no hard feelings please....?

Write comment

Your Details:

Name:

Comment:

Title:

Message:

Powered by Compojoom comment 4.1.7 stable