As usual when wrestling with the match write up I was looking for the “word” that captures the victory at Hull. The keystone of text on which the rambling edifice depends, the one single expression that you, dear reader, will retain as you reflect on the five minutes you invested this morning on the PA site.
What exactly is the ‘word’ for that performance at the KC yesterday ?
I played with a few; Polished – professional – competent – refined – strong – organised – sophisticated – cultured – cultivated – developed – powerful – authoritative – razor-sharp – distinguished – well oiled – commanding – superior – unassailable – talented – clever but none quite fitted the combination of speed, skill and intelligence that characterised our performance and our victory against the Tigers yesterday.
And then I saw it – PROFICIENT
The combination of art and science I had the pleasure of watching yesterday was proficient, a performance in which all the elements came together and meshed perfectly.
It started at the back and the opportunities that the home side had Szcz dealt with, he commanded the box, punched or caught the high balls and saved what occasional goal bound shots. The back four deal gave very little away, no stumbles or errors and a welcome clean sheet after a few games I which we have not been at our defensive sharpest.
Ah the midfield – Ramsey, Ramsey, Ramsey …………………………. I can say no more – my superlatives have failed. Santi vigorous, Ozil cleverer than a fox, and Mikel in charge across, the middle, dental problems notwithstanding.
And our strikers , yes yes I know we play one man up but yesterday it seemed to me that Olivier and Poldi buzzed about in front of and behind each other, pulling the defenders out of shape, both strikers irrespective of their official; job title. Finest finisher in the club award ? Give it to the smiling German.
And a fine cameo from the Ox, my goodness you can expect some severe competition for Cup final places.
Proficient – yes that is the word.
Not sure what to make of Hull, damage limitation when it went to 0-2. I anticipate a brighter effort on the greenfields of Wembley.
Enjoy your Easter Monday wherever you are. I am off to Stratford for Henry IV Part 2 with Number One daughter.
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
This morning we have Andrew @anicoll5 to thank for our little sunshine bus trip
Positively Arsenal 
Pardon all the typos and the conversational tone of the posts. ( mine).
Note to self::: blogging on a cell phone and reading a soils report at the same time never has the optimal effect. On both fronts. Now back to page four paragraph two for the fourth time.
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I don’t get the discussion about Podolski. He did get the chance to play in the middle as lone striker, it didn’t look too good. And as I understand it he plays to the left for country aswell? As for playing with two center forwards I don’t think Podolski is of that extra ordinary talent that we should change our system after him. As playing from the left, if he plays well, including his team play, he gets more game time, so I don’t see any problem with that. In my opinion, with all players fit and back, he’s not even automatic starter.
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Anicoll 11:43
Good one. Will certainly be interesting to see if there will be a quick upturn of fortunes or slow decaying. While next manager certainly will get a big transfer fund (that glazers probably didn’t trust moyes with), you have to consider they practically have a whole backline to fix. Then it’s the midfield. Biggest problem still will be Rooney who want to play as striker (and beat the club goal record to satisfy his ego). His suitability to play as lone striker is arguable, especially with judas at the club. Play with two strikers and mata and kagawa become redundant. Moyes served up his own balls on a plate to placate Rooney and I think it was integral with his downfall.
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Look at the second goal against Hull, David. Giroud puts a cross right on the button for Ramsey, he chests it down and Poldi plucks it out of thin air for the goal. Giroud does a lot more than score beautiful goals like the one against Wigan. The guy presses up top, wins most of his aerial dules and is deadly in the box. His output may have been minimal this season, but that’s down to the tactical adjustments the team had to make in order to compensate for our injuries.
As far as Poldi is concerned, he’s finally coming into his own after arriving at Arsenal. It has taken him all this time to settle because he’s been injured. I’m afraid he has also been a victim of the tactical adjustments Wenger has had to make in order to keep a balance on the pitch this season.
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The managerial merry go round is starting at old Trafford. That Van Gaal is going to get the nod, shows how shallow the managerial talent pool really is.
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My word, the Left Footers have really developed a taste for sacking managers. Moyes has gone and the daggers are out for Wenger…….
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Georgaki, I think that’s what happens when some zombies infiltrated the site, They keep biting until almost everyone is infected and those who are not infected either run away or hide and keep quite .
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I really dont get this idea that the last 9 years have been wasted, AW has not changed and so we should now change him as he has failed like Moyes…. Really? Suddenly now, AW is now very out of touch… really? I just don’t get it at all… this need to lump our last 5-9 yrs together just cos we did not win trophies, there were very different reason on each of those years!
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Morning George, I agree the over playing nonsense is just ridiculous. Most people who follow football know that Managers will play their best players at every opportunity. This piece of ‘rocket science’ appears lost to certain folk.
If you study the number of games played by key players in each team, you can see the lie. The top 5 teams:-
Arsenal: Giroud and Per 33 games, Sagna 31, Kos 29 and Santi 28 games.
Chelsea: Terry and Ivanovic 33 games, Hazard 31, Ramires 29, Cahill 28.
City: Ya Ya Toure 31, Zabaleta 30 and Fernandinho 29 times
Liverpool: Henderson 34 games, Skrtel 33, Suarez 30, Gerrard 30, Coutinho 2.
Everton: Coleman 33, Distin 32, Barry 30, Baines 29, McCarthy 28, Miralles 28.
Are these all overplayed by their managers?
What I find bizarre is that whenever one of our players suffers an injury, we have overplayed them. It is the clubs fault. Of course there will be times when players are played when they have a niggle or carrying an injury, again that has always happened and always will. Muscle strains happen. Sergio Aguerro has a history of repeat hamstring strains, is that Man City’s fault?
This constant negativity about the manager, our coaches and our medical team is insulting rubbish. Look at how we rehabilitated Ramsey after a career threatening injury and what he has become. This hocus pocus circulated by a marketing man with no qualifications and a tendency to spin, is just a convenient lie to support an agenda. Simple.
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lmao what a pathetic classless club united …..fergie took a football decission and owners take a commercial decission to survive in NYSE …what the fuck does giggs know about management? 3 fixtures before the end of season???? classless wrong pathetic…may they rot and disappear even further from the “elite”…..
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And he’s off! Moyes has even failed at the things he’s supposed to be good at, like buying astutely and making his team hard to beat. How, I repeat, how, did we manage to lose to his shower of a side at OT? Never mind. I mustn’t grumble. It’s been fun. I look forward to goonerkam’s ManUre predictions coming true.
@ Apropos and G69
agree with you both about Giroud and Poldi etc.
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And well said proudkev. Good to see somebody actually producing some numbers. Everyone is now an expert on the red zone, everyone knows it’s our fault.
I am also fed up of pointing out that lack of rest could be the culprit. You can’t make up for lack of rest between three games in a row by then having 8 or 9 days off – the damage has already been done. Also the fact that we get kicked so much every game.
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When you think about the Moyes thing, it was doomed from the start. He was left a team that needed rebuilding and inherited the Rooney problem. He replaced the entire backroom team and replaced them with the one he had at Everton; a bunch not used to competing at the top table and Champions league football nor the demands of a club the size of Man Utd where winning is expected.
The fact he managed 51 games and did not play the same team twice is quite some stat and a true indication of his abilities.
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GP
Not everyone in Man U is a RC!, but they do go on about it.
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He replaced the entire backroom team and replaced them with the one he had at Everton;
hallo porudkev. to me thats his only mistake…..the players at united are also at fault for dreadful performances..when youre paid anywhere between 150-300k per week you dont need a manager to motivate you. what does it mean “players unhappy?” fuck them ..lol they dont decide..they are paid to play and nothing else..they are not there to like the manager they are there to listen to the manager. whether moyes is good or not for united is irrelevant to the class they needed to show as a big club and take their decission at the end of season ..not like this…. where will moyes work again? he needs to move out the country now…..glazers fucked him in the arse ….and giggs? lmao…i want to see him register 3 straight defeats the cheating cunt still playing in his forties busting everyone’s balls …fuck player power.
if giggs thinks he is a champion he needs a word with lord of the rings ZELICO OBRADOVIC
“”who are you what have you won? hey its in the past.!!1..finished..only future is important!!”
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Proudkev
I’m not a defender of Moyes, but that team that Fergie left him was falling apart – and yes I know they won the league last year at a canter.
The players badly let him down – and he lost the dressing room because of not being used to handing prima-donna’s egos. Half that team needed removing this season, if they could have been sold.
Moyes finally found a formation with Mata and Kagawa, but Rooney doesn’t know where to play, and JvC didn’t want to play at all.
In hindsight, it’s clear he was set up as a patsy. Just shows that top 4 is not a divine right for any team.
Manu have huge financial resources, they will need vast amounts of money this summer to rebuild the team, as they will be competing with us and several other clubs for a few players.
De Gea. Jones. Evans. Carrick. Mata. Kagawa. Rooney. Wenger could build a hell of a team around these. Hope he is not tempted.
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@ proudkev
It was indeed doomed from the start. Add you can to that Moyes’ lack of stature – he was starting off at a disadvantage with their arrogant squad – and some crucial misjudgments. Public pursuit of Cesc. How deluded would Moyes have to be to think that was going to happen? Buying Fellaini. Waiting to buy Fellaini until after his buyout clause ran out and paying a higher fee. All this made him look like like a numpty. Sacking backroom staff who had valuable experience. It was always going to be hard but he made it harder.
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And yes, hunter13, players should take a good look at themselves. Can’t escape their share of the credit for the entertainment that was provided.
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@ double canister
Agree that they have enough good players there to challenge for a top four place. If they had, I think the Glazers would have kept faith with DM.
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Agree with Hunter.
Changing the training routines and coaching at Manu was a big mistake.
One thing Utd have being doing very well for a long time.
Breaking the little darling’s comfort zone straight away was only going to alienate the super stars ego’s. In the end they stabbed him in the back.
I see Rio is all over twitter today, gloating. What a grade A coke-headed knob. +allegedly+
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Fun Gunner, it really irritates me. For as long as i can remember we have been the club everyone loves to hate. The media have never really been our friends and I do not believe I am being paranoid. But as a supporter of this great club I find it appalling that we have a group of our own so called fans, who deliberately spin and create negativity. Every injury is the clubs fault. Our medical team are insulted, our coaches are insulted, our scouts are insulted, our manager is insulted and I have seen people wish ill health and worse on him. Our players are insulted, Giroud gets it by the bucket load and fellow fans who defend the club and offer an alternative opinion get called abusive names. It is very sad because Arsenal is a great club and what we have built with our own money should be celebrated. instead we get the 9 years thrown down our throats. These idiots seem unable to recognise just what a great achievement we made.The stadium and renewed sponsorship deals have catipulted us into mega club status, which ensures long term competitiveness. The Fifa list of clubs that have abused FFP may provide further proof of just how we have created a monster. Whenever I ask a stadium denier how they think we paid for the stadium and the Highbury redevlopment, they cannot answer. When I ask how many of the 9 years they think we had money to spend, they cannot answer. They use income received from player sales, as meaning we had money to spend. They are clueless.
I am proud of being an Arsenal fan and the way the club conducts itself. I am proud of the fact that we have done things properly and without the aid of a foreign national that has no real interest in the sport, other than the egotistical rewards it provides. I despise the way Chelsea has conducted itself over the years, pretty appalling stuff. Even Maureen gets an easy ride. I just wish Arsenal fans would stick together and put two fingers up to the hacks, ex players and blog writers that seem intent to abuse our great club and anyone displaying what I consider to be true support.
Sorry about the long post, as you can see I am passionate about this subject and the defence of our club. Better get some work done now and a nice cup of tea.
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Funs
When a club with deep pockets is desperate for new players, it’s a Godsend to the selling clubs.
Moyes paid way over the odds (and wages) for players he brought in or had to keep, and it looked like he was going to buy more overpriced players. The Glazers may not be entirely smart, but they are mean fisted. The prospect of spending £200m plus even more on wages this summer must make them feel sick.
Even Utd may not be a big enough cash cow anymore.
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Afternoon Hunter13 and Double Cannister.
Yes, I do blame the players too. I suspect they were ticked off with the sacking of the coaches they had worked with for a number of years. There was talk of player unrest at the start of the season. These players are driven by their egos. The Rooney saga was an embarrassment and where Fergie stood up to him, Moyes buckled.
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proudkev
April 22, 2014 at 12:12 pm
post of the year
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good to have you man..well said!
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I agree with proudkev at 11.28 but it would be foolish to ignore that some, for example dogface from the untold refwatch team, predicted this collapse in the Manc squads fortunes once Ferguson left and the referees started to award penalties against them. It definitely makes a difference and is a change that should not be ignored (getting or not getting penalties for or against you etc..).
But ultimately it is a funny situation. Moysie, who was the número uno candidate for those who wanted “change” that they had the grace to articulate through attacks on, say, pat rice, the clubs fiscal policy, the managers history of singing players, the managers history of tactical innovation etc…properly amusing. You did not have to know much about football to know last season that say Martinez was a better manger then Moyes. Another reason we are better of on PA and not wasting time listening/reading that gibberish. If I knew it then these Expert Groaners and low level PR consultants who are not very good at their own PR need to find a new hobby.
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ProudKev
As David said earlier in the post, ‘fans’ want the injuries sorted out – whatever that means. What’s Wenger going to do? Bring them all to Lourdes for a dunking in Holy Water? (bad)Luck has been a huge part of any teams chances. Look at City now.
We have the German national team medical staff looking at some of our players, as well as our own staff, and we have some of the best facilities in world football.
There may be something about the conditioning or warming-up routines that could be looked at, but it’s hardly obvious what the problems are, if they exist at all.
I’m a bit sick of some other bloggers bar-room expertise on the subject.
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That was another Moyes misjudgment – giving Rooney a massive new contract. The media took the view at the time that they couldn’t afford to lose him but I question whether he would in fact have gone anywhere. Even if he could bring himself to move out of his comfort zone and leave, they would have got a nice fat fee for him, freed up some room on the wage bill and bought other players in positions where they are weaker.
@ double canister April 22, 2014 at 12:15 pm
Yes.
And do we expect better from Rio? I don’t! Arrogant tools, the lot of them.
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Proudkev.
Very apt name!
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I can see a Book and Movie:
The Damned United (Part II)
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Dear David Hills
Did you ever in your considerations consider why our beloved Plodders who has an outstanding record of about 1 in 2 in over a hundred caps for Germany has
A) lost his starting berth in the German team?
B) why successive German coaches have played him on the left and hardly if ever as central striker? They are quite good at this football malarky, ze Germans. They have quite a good record. And they prefer to have played Klose (who in my humble opinion was rubbish at his best compared to the Giroud that we have seen) and others over the years in the middle instead of Podloski. I wanted to see hingham get a chance there for Germany (a trial for Arsenal!) but the “worst injury of his career” after which he has needed some nursing, ruined any chances of getting those minutes as a striker for Germany (Özil had to play up top as all other candidates were out injured. Bad luck for Podolski there I felt).
I hope you don’t find my questions too pedantic or aggressive, though you do seem to be enjoying dare I say it even seeking some confirmation bias. The above is not my opinion, or even evidence of my own bias (none of are that good at hiding our bias eh? Especially when we are so desperate for “change”), it is simply an easily made observation, or record. And it can be helpful.
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I hope Man Ure get relegated next season, all their plastic fans across the world start supporting Liverpool and they lose all their sponsors. Does that make me a mean person?
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proudkev at 12:12 pm
You have summarized for me the reasons why I am an apologist for Arsenal under Arsene. I imagine it is true for most PA posters. Forgive me if I’m wrong but where have you been till now? Your gravatar is new to me.
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finsbury
April 22, 2014 at 12:22 pm
steven gerrard …14 goals – 11 penalties …haha
when did we ever win 11 penalties in a season? do we not attack ? do we not get fouled in the area? …..only against hull we were denied two (ozil + ox) …getting sick of liverpool now and their entitlement now…come on city!!! vieira toure clichy !!
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There are amazing similarities between the team left by scouse hero Kenny dalglish and the one left by old red nose for moyes. The Liverpool team dissolved as kennys last season (before he returned several years later) proved to be a last legs year much the same as fergies title side. If the red side of Stanley park makes it across the finishing line it would of taken them almost 25 years to get back to the top. In todays money orientated football pitch it might not take manure as long but history does have a habit of repeating itself and the warning is right next door for the devils that are red.
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the most important question – how was henry iv part 2? i saw part 1 a couple of weeks ago and anthony sher was truly brilliant. Seeing part 2 next month….
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Thanks for all the nice words and welcoming me to this blog.
I am a fifty year old bloke brought up in a family of Gooners in Islington. My wife and kids are all fans. I love the club been a big part of my life over the years and still is. I criticise things that happen but support ‘my’ club through good, bad and indifferent times. As far as I am concerned the players wear the shirt, so deserve my support.
What the club has achieved off the field and for future years is outstanding but rarely gets a mention. The 9 year mantra drives me bananas, so too the 4th place trophy claim, because these are so disingenuous it is untrue. It completely ignores what the future will show is a remarkable achievement and the foundations of our future successes.
I agree with Hunter13 about Liverpool. They have been fortunate. No midweek games means their players can optimise their recovery time and plan for each PL game. But most annoying is the huge list of ex players they have in the media, it is unprecedented and none seem to like us very much.
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Wow. United never cease to surprise me in regards their lowclass and ruthlessness specialy going back to ferret face Ferguson’s rein of fear. All one has to do is read the books & articles written by ex united players to see what a master manipulator fff and this board are. They just trashed a man’s career in public. Not even ” by mutual consent” but SACKED. All for being ambitious and somewhat blinded by the famous move to a ” big ” club to foolishly drink from the poisoned chelas fergee prepared and left for him. I wonder if they consulted his a regarding the sacking too. Those big egos in the locker room must be real proud of themselves for abandoning this to his lonely doom. All this right after Easter holidays and right after visiting his former club for the first time this past weekend. Bloody hell, his confidence must be shattered. Hay, sleep with snakes and you are bound to get bitten sooner or later. It’s in their nature. Lets not forget fff was the first one to bend backwards to kiss roonys ass. His is as much to blame for those big heads in the locker room as any the board and the owners.
I hope this move , three games before the end of the season , comes back to haunt them for many years and costs them an arm and a leg. Classless bums. Klopp is a smart man to take himself out of the running for the permanent replacement. Smart and loyal. I think I like him specialy after all his complementary comment on the subject of AW & THE ARSENAL. they modeled themselves after us after their financial collapse six years ago, if one is to believe what their head coach says.
Anxiously awaiting to see what le professor will say about this to the media. Knowing him , not much due to the fact he would want total focus and total commitment from our lads these last few games.
I wonder what the bookies are offering on fff returning to his old post at manure to rescue their pathatic a. disgraceful behavior.
We should be very proud of our lads for backing AW to the hilt with loyalty, love and respect. Which is only fair because AW & THE ARSENAL treat each and every one of our lads with the same love, loyalty and respect.
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rafas liverpool was better than this one…..
thjose who knock down top4 would do good to notice manchester united … did they build a stadium and have to filed inexperienced kids? everton and liverpool and totenahm how have they spent to get to top four in the years we have financial restrictions. wenger is the best in the world he just owned them in 04 and its abitter pillto swallow plus the epl/sky cartel wont stand for a manager who is pumping money out the system instead of in the system…. as you say i find it astonishing that our own fans would rather ignore such things and attack the club.
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@ Gainsbourg69 April 22, 2014 at 12:41 pm
“I hope Man Ure get relegated next season, all their plastic fans across the world start supporting Liverpool and they lose all their sponsors. Does that make me a mean person?”
ha ha, me too! Don’t care if it makes me mean. It would be HILARIOUS.
@ proudkev
Just make sure you keep commenting. And I bet you could write a pretty darn good blog post as well.
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CLASSIC CLASSIC FINSBURY
” another reason we are better off on PA and not wasting time listening /reading that gibberish from so called experts. if i knew it then these Experts Groaners & low level PR consultants who are not very good at their own PR need to find a new hobby. ”
EPIC MATE. I love it.
(0( . our expert groaners and doomers are probably shocked, pissed off and embarrassed at getting beat by united groaners and moaners. Those guys up north help accomplish in ten months our band of misfits haven’t been able to do in seven years. Me thinks the Uzbek might approach them for some tips on ” change of management covert warfare “.
Again , credit to our players and our board for long term approach and full backing of AW.
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Good afternoon Pedantic George.
I have read your blog with intrigue on a daily basis since I first discovered it. I am aware of your style, it does make for interesting reading I must say. Many thanks for your time and sentiments also, it’s very much appreciated. I should have known something was afoot, the sex and conversations were the same but the dishes were piling up.
Regarding my comment on Olivier Giroud being a 1 in 5 striker, by no means was it meant to be less than complimentary on my part, I was simply (simplistically?) stating a fact. Olivier has a 20% conversion rate. Perhaps you have spent many a year fighting the good fight against certain comments, you are in constant default mode and are somewhat sensitive on certain subjects? To reinforce – I do like Olivier, I believe both he and LP have many goals to offer. Perhaps young Sanogo has been given too much game time at LP’s expense and perhaps we could adopt a system to get LP closer to Giroud in the penalty area, rather than being isolated on the touchline? I believe if we achieve this it would benefit our goal scoring column greatly.
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hunter13
April 22, 2014 at 1:50 pm
Very well put.
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I must also address the comments regarding my assessment on us overplaying at certain times. This in no way, shape or form was any link to injuries on my part. It was in regards to our passing game. That much is obvious. Therefore I do hope the conversation that has developed regarding overplaying and injuries has nothing to do with what I stated.
Double Canister.
‘As David said earlier in the post, ‘fans’ want the injuries sorted out – whatever that means’.
Poppycock. May I ask how you came to such conclusions from what I actually said in a conversation with the welcoming, un-gestapo like Goonerkam?
‘I’m in full agreement with you on that subject. Injuries to key players can derail a title challenge. It’s a pity we’ve lost such quality at key points of the season. I hope we can address the injury issue next season’. You have not even come close to what I stated. Your comment is nonsensical.
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Dear Finsbury.
Good questions. I cannot answer such, as I’m not the head coach of Germany. I can only assume Podolski’s decline for the national side is part of the natural revolving door process. A player approaching 30, who is indeed a good player, yet has been usurped by young upstarts who are more talented, given the amount of talent the Germans have been producing. Most of their attacking players are worth 40-50 million Euros these days and they have them on conveyor belts. Podolski’s made way I assume at best
Yes, in his time he played as a LWF, but they obviously found a system that optimized his strengths. There’s no other explanation for his return of goals. I very much doubt his rate came about so by covering the gaps his fullback left or sat on the bench for that matter. I would hope we can find a similar system for him the Germans did and it would be a good start if he played more. After all, he’s been fit since Christmas and we’ve suffered terrible injuries elsewhere since then. So perhaps now you could be so kind to explain why he hasn’t played more?
Without aggressive, confirmation bias of course.
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Still something tells me a major incident and/or a bust-up happened during halftime of the Everton game or immediately after it. Either with some players or with board of directors at manIOU. This behavior is low even by uniteds standards.
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Welcome back David.
Here is a tip, dont try to understand what either Finsbury or Double Canister says. It takes years to break the code.
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Fun Gunner
Sometimes I think we fans who support the clubs acheivements should be more vocal. We are the silent majority. I also wish the club would stand up for itself against all the factually incorrect negativity that gets repeated about the club and Arsene.
I watched a football finance show a couple of years back where Cristain Purslow of liverpool and David Gold of West ham were talking about Wenger and the stadium. Purslow described the stadium move and regular champions league qualification as a miracle. Gold agreed. These are guys who know what they are talking about, not some marketing bloke that writes a blog or Adrian Durham. These are professionals that know how business finance and football works.They understood the problems we faced, the Granada issue, the delays, the fact we not only had to finance the Emirates but also the redevelopment of Highbury. The sponsorship deals that were negotiated on the basis that we were beggars at the time. And the arrival of the oil men. The fact we had a manager that bought into the plan and did not leave because of an over inflated ego that dictated he needed success on the field, like a Maureeno. Wenger and Arsenal were a match made in heaven and we got lucky. The history books will show that.
Before Wenger arrived we were going backwards. 1993 to 1996 we were 10th, 4th, 12th and 5th and pretty boring. 1997 to 2005 (pre-stadium) we were 1st or 2nd and being entertained like never before. Now we finish 3rd or 4th, maintain good football style, have built a stadium, had restricted funds, seen the oil men arrive and its mass hysteria about how hopeless we are!
Sometimes we need to say enough is enough and defend our manager and our club. Why does the praise go to the clubs running up huge debts who ride roughshod over football, inflating wages which will ultimately come out of the fans pockets.Why are we and Wenger ridiculed on an almost daily basis for actually standing up to this corruption and bullying, while trying to compete on an uneven playing field. It beggars belief sometimes when I listen to fans, blog writers, ex players and the media hacks who revel in undermining Arsenal.
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I feel the same way regarding playing POLDI in the box as a I do THEO playing as a striker in the same position.
Yes , they both can do a decent enough job there with their finishing but they offer the team something more and and necessary out wide where they are deployed. In THEOS case pace and his crossing ability. And in POLDIS case his technical ability to take his man on and beat him in addition to his crossing and above average pace. Anywho, as I said before with the dynamic system and players we have up front the defenses will be petrified trying to contain these guys and their movements no matter which one is positioned where. With our attacking mids joining in it will be like bees buzzing allover trying to find an opening to sting. OG and his hold up play and the way he waits to get his teammates involved in the attack not to mention his close quarter passing will be crucial in the future and I’m looking forward to it salivating in anticipation for some great footwork, passing and teamworked goals. Injury god willing and granting us good luck in that department.
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David, what I found interesting was Wengers comment that Podolski has shown better movement lately. So maybe the isolation you are talking about lies more in the players rather than the tactics?
As for Girouds conversion rate, Ill take your word for it. And very few would doubt Podolski is a better finisher. But that’s Podolskis best attribute as player while Girouds is being a target player that brings in other people into play. When we were leading the league we talked of him as the best in the league in that respect and appreciated him for it. With the whole team out of form the assessment is he’s not a Suarez.
As for giving Sanogo playing time instead of Podolski, when Giroud comes off Sanogo (or Bendtner) comes on. Sanogo and Podolski are not competing in same position. As for Podolski not being given more playing time earlier in the season, when exactly did Podolski display the kind of game that warrants him such (over Santi, the Ox or Rosicky)?
Finally, some other stats, Giroud has 14 goals and 7 assists in 33 league games. That’s 0.42 goals per game or total contribution of 0.63 goals per game. But considering his role that’s hardly his only contribution to the team.
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