Well, that was a disappointment.
I think a draw would have been a fair result, but there is no denying that we were below our best.
I feel that we lacked a bit of drive and intensity in the first half. That would have come from ‘Jack the knackered ankle’ and ‘Tomas the poorly’.
Really, I am of a mind that the number and intensity of games, played with an ever decreasing squad, finally caught up with us.
There is little or no point picking over the bones of this defeat. It’s gone and the important thing is that we are top of the league.
Two weeks rest and we will be back with a much stronger and fresher looking squad.
I am as confident as ever that we will make a real fist of this campaign.
Chelsea and City are the two teams I fear most over the distance and we stand 4 and 6 points ahead of them respectively at this stage.This is a great position to be in given we have been decimated by serious long-term injuries to vital players.
All we can do is get behind the team and let them play with the confidence that comes from knowing that they have a supportive fan base.
Positively Arsenal 
Desperate stuff from the “journalist” in question. To call it garbage would be to shower it with undue praise. Probably a nadir. And considering the competition that’s quite some achievement.
It’s all about “hits”. Nothing else matters does it. The more comments it garners, even if they are mostly ridiculing the author, the better I suppose. In that respect they probably see it as a successful article. Shame.
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It is shame that such an article came from the independent. I would expect this sort of thing from the guardian or its cousins like the sun. So far, the indepedent had been a decent mainstream website. It is shame that they had to whore themselves out like this.
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I have been called away for a few days.Just popped into a local library to catch up and post this.
See you all soon(so to speak)
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Sensational Arsenal
November 12, 2013 at 1:33 pm
hahaa…..nicholson at f365 and samuel at dm….the best ever …..
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just wait till our wide men are back, they will know why we bought ozil.
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every journalist in england country have the club they support. they write anything to support their teams even if it makes no sence
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layksite
November 12, 2013 at 2:55 pm
yes that is true..he will deliver killer balls to theo or gnabry…but if we have two wide men ..and a striker..and 3 midfielders one of them being definately arteta a/o flam then the other two positions are likely ramsey and ozil……..and what about cazorla? we leave him out?…mighty mouse? … ahhh my heart…
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Excellent hack stuffing, chaps.
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Everyone should pop into their local library, George. If this soulless bunch of corporate arselicking, fags, floggers and xenophobes get another term they will be consigned to history.
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‘fag’ being a type of public school slave btw for those not familiar with the British education system
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Sadly true Frank. If these dead-eyed bastards have their way there will be nothing left to save.
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Before I decide I shall seek the opinion of the most learned scholars of the football world, pious men, steeped in relentless pursuit of true knowledge over a lifetime of dedication, men whose know the true face of the game and speak wisdom.
Henry Winter for example
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henr….pffffft..y..hehehehehe.wintaaaaahhhhh…haaaahaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha……HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH….uurrrrgghh ….dearie me..
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lots of manure players dodging the internationals.
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layksite
November 12, 2013 at 2:55 pm
“just wait till our wide men are back, they will know why we bought ozil.”
And they’ll know why we bought Giroud. He’s been awesome setting them up for his teammates, but he’s even better at making ghosting runs into the box and tapping them into the back of the net.
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“i believe the role and job description of a journalist has changed dramatically the last decade. They do not record events and present them as are. They give personal biased comments and try to form/lead opinion. Their articles could be said that are made to provoke and instigate emotional anger to the reader. trolling has become professional. they are paid to troll.”
Only 10 years Hunter? I haven’t bought a newspaper for about 30 years since they are not worth the paper they are written on. Journalism and integrity parted ways a long time ago.
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the three eyes of journalism…integrity, independence and impartiality 🙂
fuck this is going to be a looooong interluzzzzzzzzz
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hmmmm two weeks to register some working hours on fm i guess
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Yes and all we get is partiality, dependence and tegrity. Fucking disgrace.
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heheh… pedros and robsons in disguise mate….
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Not sure who or what pedro is? Has that twisted rotter Robson found another place to let off his farts?.
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next game…23rd november…..that is ten days …ten fucking days without seeing our stadium…thats too long ..ill go buy slippers and ashtrays from the armoury for the fix..maybe even a reversible beannie …dont judge addictions please..it could happen to you too…..
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for pedro see morgan…twins….!!
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oh that ratbag. Not sure I would recognise a ‘beannie’ whichever direction it was going in.
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yes sorry its with one ‘n’ ….beanie hat is the correct term…
we deserve a medal for keeping the ‘debates’ going…. 🙂
we could of course debate on the role and importance of the trequartista in the modern game when employed in left as opposed to right or central…
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Debating the role of the trequartista is fine provided we all agreed what that role is. 🙂
Having done that we could move and discuss and compare it with the role of the regista, — once we all agreed what a regista’s role is.
In English I guess the former is basically a Number 10, playing in the hole. while the latter is an attacking midfielder who also has defensive responsibilities – not as glamorous sounding as the Italian names perhaps but equally important.
Me? I think we need one of each. 🙂
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Please! not the trequartista! My mind is still spinning from the last time that debate raged here.
Maybe you guys can educate me a little on a similar topic. I didnt get to watch the Invincibles. I see that Pires was a huge player in that team. I have heard people say that he was a more creative force and not a natural winger. So are there similarities between him and Cazorla?
Also, didnt Henry have the tendency to drift left? How did that affect the front three? Obviously it worked, but in my mind I am looking at a lop-sided front three. Was that one of the reasons for the successful partnership between Henry and Pires?
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This ‘hole’ that we speak of. Where is it? When I used to play there were holes all over the pitch.
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Sensational,
Pires could not be more different physically from Cazzor. Bob was (is) 6′ 2″ and swift. Cazzor is short and not too quick.
The physical disparities led to quite different types of player.
Pires was extremely skilful, as is Cazzor, but he was far more direct and had a great turn of pace.
Similar? Not at all in my opinion, other than both being extremely skilful.
But what do I know? —- all together now! 🙂
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HenryB, I meant the types of player they are/were for the team in that left attacking role. So is it fair to say Pires was a mix of Cazorla and Podolski and something more? From what I can tell, Pires seems to have quick feet, tricky moves and an eye for goal or assist.
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Frank,
Oddly enough I do not think you have any interest in an answer to your question, and I am happy to oblige by having no interest either. 🙂
If anyone chooses to field an answer, perhaps they could also explain why there are no longer any right halfs or left halfs, what the hell are midfielders and as for false nines and flat back fours and total football surely these are all the devil’s abominations! 🙂
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I don’t really think that Robert Pires has anything in common with either Santi Cazorla or Lukas Podolski…except in the latter case they both have a love of London.
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Isn’t a false 9 almost a 10?
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Sensational,
I am not really able to explain myself better.
If we can agree that Messi and Bergkamp are/were brilliant players and played in similar positions, could you explain the differences betwixt the two in a succinct way that would not leave the explanation open to multiple opportunities for miserable misunderstanding? 🙂
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Perhaps this ‘hole’ thing is a figment of people’s imagination, HarryB. As for midfield the only players in our side who do not play in midfield are Per and Szesz. Very fluid and great use of space.
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Presumably the only thing you can say about a false 9 is that it is not a 9
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dc, 🙂
Isn’t it a lying midfielder (what that?) saying he is a nine? 🙂
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Frank,
I was trying, and obviously failing, to make an allusion to the changing world of football, where the old positions and tactics have been largely renamed in ways the old timers who were right halfs, left halfs and Inside forwards would never comprehend.
I often got at cross purposes with my dad over this! 🙂
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HenryB, got it. Better to just watch and enjoy these special players and not try to categorise them.
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Good effort, HenryB
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henryb you the man 😉 i remember from the seminars in clairefontaine and toulouse as well as amsterdam when luis van gaal would talk about kanu being able to play both as a 9 and a 6 …something that my fellow classmates couldnt understand so they tried to correct him
“but mr luis a 6 cant be a 9″ ..
” yes it can, in my system”
” que systema ist das?”
” you are thinking the traditional horizontal layout of a teams formation…i use my own …i do it vertically… in my system kanu can play as 6 and as 9… it looks like this
……………………1…………………..
2………………….5………………..8
3………………….6………………..9
4………………….7………………..10
……………………11………………….
it is what i have termed “das telefon system”…its when you aint got a clue what system youre playing you need to grab the telephone and call someone to help you”
i just laughed at shearer and phil neville around me who thought they could doubt Luis Van Gaaaaaaaaaaahl.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
pires was a midfielder ….a central midfielder at metz… a right footed central midifelder with no particular pace….he excelled at Arsenal playing wide left with about 10 goals and 15 assists per year….only Wenger can explain this and Robert….i have no clue other than that pires had a very deceiving football iq combined with outrageous on the ball technique and above all…confidence…. whatever he had in his mind he felt strong enough to pull it off…. ..i remember him do ridiculous things like saving a throw in with a scorpion backheel kick on the sideline only to find a teammate and then bomb forward to recieve pass again and drag like 4 players with him and then dzjjjooooop…a pass, a titi, a goal. simple things.
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Sensational Arsenal November 13, 2013 at 6:20 pm
hmmmmmm id say…….for pires …think of figo without the crossing. both neither particular fast..both primarily midfield playmakers both excelled on the wings one left the other right…both knew how to beat first man
double canister November 13, 2013 at 6:26 pm
Isn’t a false 9 almost a 10?
aaarrghhh blasphemy..!!!!! .the false 9 is the ……wait for it…wait ….wait……
.the shaddow striker ( wooaaaa!!!) 🙂
giuly is the false 9…..olic is the false 9…..quagliarela is the false 9…..pedro is the flase 9 …( we will ignore he does the false 9 from the flanks..ahahaha )
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Hang on a sec. Pedro is the Spaish Theo, no false numbers for him thank
Probably the other way around, Pedro is a little older. So, Walcott is the English Pedro! I found the older term ‘inside forward’ worked for me with that type of player.
Old is gold.
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Good lord. I feel hopelessly out of touch.
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Bobby Pires was something of a pivot, down the left many times he would receive the ball especially in a counter attack, the Invincibles forte; he could beat a player with timing, and/or quicken the pace of a move with 1-2s, and he was quick to spot the through ball and release fast. He could get out of trouble and frequently turned defense into attack. No he was not that fast, more speed of thought fast, and wonderful timing. He had a slightly unusual stance, ball shuffled from foot to foot, and seldom lost the ball. There is no player I could compare him to. Henry was like a ghost when he drifted quietly left, and it was often Pires who found him; it seemed sometimes Henry’s marker didn’t notice, or perhaps thought he was not in a threatening position. How wrong they were. I saw Henry make a 15 metre pass to himself, he was that quick over a short distance. Compared to today’s Arsenal sides, more technical, I should think the Invincibles were more direct in their play, but attacking qualities are comparable. The crucial link further up almost always seemed to be Bergkamp, who gave the appearance of never losing the ball, almost always making a simple, telling pass.
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I would think today’s Arsenal positioning is much more fluid, technical, and “positions” refer to roles rather than position, but still holding a shape especially off the ball. Ramsey scores as if he was a typical “old fashioned” number 10, although he plays quite deep, but the fluid midfield has created the illusion. Ozil has been seen left and very wide on the right, within minutes sometimes, Tomas plays from either flank too, although he seems to prefer the right, while Aaron, and especially Jack tend to stick more in the middle ground, unless instructed otherwise. Santi seems to have a more left sided role in the absence of Lukas, but looks comfortable right in the middle of it all.
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Excellent, ZimPaul
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in this present team, my favourite for the position of false 9 is ramsey. but for his hard work, it will be less rewarding playing him in the position.
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though many arsenal fans love henry and many more idolise bergkamp, buy my favourite player is pires. he is the best in my book. the only player i can compare to him is angel di maria. but even that is a very poor comparism. my people do say that if you try to compare two of your children, you may kill one for the other. pires is incomparable, he’s one in a million.
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finsbury
November 13, 2013 at 7:49 pm
eureka!! …in 433 the 10 plays left..the false 9 right side and the 11 targetman or killer.
in 442 ….when you dont play with a typical ten playmaker and have right winger and left winger ..then the “ten” becomes the false9/shadow striker.
i should be teaching these things …. 🙂
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