I listened to Sky Sports Sunday Supplement last night and I chuckled away at Arry’s chums assuming that it was just a matter of time before Arry was appointed as England boss. What a lot of hot air, excusing his team’s form while laying into Arsene the previous season for a similar collapse.
Well done to Roy Hodgson and I am looking forward to listening to some squirming and frustration on Sunday, especially from Brian Woolnough the disrespectful muppet.
There are two important games tonight involving those directly below us in the table. Newcastle travel to Chelsea while Bolton entertain Tottenham at the Reebok. While it is all very close beneath us, I look at Tottenham’s fixtures and expect them to be the main contenders for our third place.
That fixture at West Brom leaves me feeling uneasy, I cannot shake the feeling away so I am hoping that Coyle, Ryo and his team mates can do us a big favour tonight. It is a big ask of Bolton and I just cannot see it happening [Super Reverse Jinx] but should they beat Tottenham this evening and we beat Norwich on the weekend then those lot from down the road cannot finish above us but I am trying to push that away for now. In any case, it is in our hands and it sounds so simple. Beat two midtable teams in the last two games and we finish where we are. As a young Michael Jackson once sang, it’s as easy as 123. Yet it doesn’t seem so cut and dried right now, possibly due to our lack of victories in the last few games.
I didn’t get the chance to write about the Stoke game over the weekend as I was away but I thought we showed glimpses of our best in that first half but as has been the case at times, we struggle to turn our domination into goals. I am a bit late to the party but what a cross from Tomas Rosicky. Seriously, I have watched that ball over and over again. He is in fact a very good crosser of the ball but now he is not in wide positions we do not see that from him as much as we used to.
If we can replicate that first half for the full 90 minutes against Norwich and hopefully West Brom then we should have what it takes to win those two games but first thing is first… COME ON BOLTON!
Now to the April transfer window. After the confirmation of Lukas Podolski, rumours of Jan Vertonghen and Yaan M’Vila seem to be doing several rounds. Yesterday we were supposed to be in advanced negotiations with Vertonghen and now the reports are that Tottenham are heading the queue at present.
It all sounds a little Cahill and Sambaish to me. These two players will remain the only two players in the world that can help us improve until they sign for another team. Cue pandemonium.
I am not coming from a position of any real knowledge of the two players in question. I either haven’t seen them live or if I have, not close enough to notice them. I just cannot quite get my head around the Vertonghen interest. Interest is the wrong word because clearly he seems like a very good player. Captain of Ajax, a good footballer and a leader. Who wouldn’t want that in their team? What I am struggling with is a captain who is looking for a big move, coming to a club to play second fiddle. Do you really believe that either Laurent Koscielny or Thomas Vermaelen would be asked to take a back seat for a new player? Why would Arsene disrupt those two who have been fantastic together whenever they have played as a partnership.
But what about injuries? Every club gets injuries and you need a squad strong enough to compete. That is the inevitable response and to a large extent I agree with that sentiment. But that is from our perspective and probably from the perspective of the manager. Who wouldn’t want van Persie mark two with the same talent and skill set sat on the bench in case he gets injured or suspended. Well anyone but that player.
Yes, Vermaelen could get crocked on the first day of the season and be out for three months but he and Koscielny could equally be fit all season (Is this Koscielny’s second season without injury?)
As a rule center backs do not get rotated. They need to play together and find an understanding. It is different further up the pitch but defenders need to stay fit and play continuously. Look at the stats for the best defensive teams this season, most of their first choice defenders will have played for the most part. We have changed our back four more than any other team this season and we have conceded 75,000 goals or something.
Back to Vertonghen, would the following speech be inviting to him?
“Jan, we would love you at Arsenal. Your football suits our style of play. We have three top center backs and we would like four. You will get games in the first team if we pick up injuries but don’t worry, a few Carling Cup and FA Cup games would be great for you. You will get a chance if you sit tight. Whaddya reckon?”
Arsene is probably better with words than I am but can he say anything much different to that? I am not so sure. If I was Vertonghen, I would rather join a team that would make me the number one, the most important part of the defence just like it was at Ajax. Unfortunately that would be Tottenham but hey, this is only a part of my head that is banging against a brick wall. Maybe Arsene wants to go all Wigan on us and play a back three, maybe Vermaelen is going to drop down the ranking for his countryman. Maybe just maybe, he is ok with the whole squad thing and he and Mertesacker can play cats cradle on the subs bench (although two center backs on the bench may well be pushing it)
Can we also quickly clear up the whole ‘he can play full back’ thing. Vermaelen can also play full back can’t he? But can Vermaelen or Vertonghen play left back for Arsenal? A different ball game altogether. Arsenal need wing backs who are quick, dynamic and attacking. The double V’s are center backs who can shuffle over to the left and that is that.
Johan Djourou is not the worlds greatest center back but he was probably our best center back last season before his injury. I wonder how many fourth choice defenders are better than he is. Is Vertonghen better than Djourou? I don’t know personally as I haven’t seen Vertonghen but I imagine he might be. If everyone is ok with it then hey, sell Djourou and bring in Vertonghen. Bring it on, obstacles are overrated anyway.
I still have the Song/M’Vila obstacle in my face. M’Vila would come to play and surely M’Vila and Song would not play most games together, it is too defensive for Arsene. It isn’t creative enough especially when you have so many creative talents in midfield but if you told me that a 19 year old French midfielder from the AC Milan reserves wanted to join us, I might tell you to get lost because I love Coquelin. You would then have every right to kick me square in the nuts a few years later.
Look at youngsters like Szczesny and Coquelin, two players who were at the beginning of their careers yet both publicly voiced concerns about playing time. We can look at the Tottenham bench and say yes, they have Jermaine Defoe on the bench while we do not have a goalscorer as yet but he is unhappy with that role and would have left the club if the right opportunity came up.
A player like Lukas Podolski makes sense where as obviously Chamakh does not. Chamakh cannot get games because he can only play in van Persie’s position. Robin has been fit (touch wood) all season. Lukas can play wide and as a central striker so he is not sitting behind one player waiting for injury.
Squad building is more than collecting the best players in the world, it is a delicate balancing act of numbers, potential expected to be among the best, experience, hierarchy and versatility. Then you have to take into consideration the new squad rules, homegrown, under 21s, which players will be changing groups etc etc. I am just glad it is not a job that I have to think about in too much depth.
With that, I bid you goodbye.
Should have another Your Vision article up later.
EXAMPLE OF AD POSITION
