11G Exclusive: Expert View (Q & A)
The Press Area
Over the past fortnight we gave you an opportunity (through our Facebook & Twitter handles) to clear all the doubts about our beloved Arsenal. We got close to 30 questions in all; not a massive number but good enough to kick-start this feedback session!
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Some of them were really eye-catching & well-versed. Here are the top-7 from that lot..
"For those of you still curious as to who answered them, for the sake of authenticity alone; it’s our very own friend from UK, Akhil (an intern with The Mirror) who took out time & came up with his insightful & much-valued views.
"
Check his blog on Bleacher by clicking here. Follow him on Twitter @10akhil Read on..
Q. Why is Almunia beaten on his near post all the time – Against Liverpool in the opening fixture, against Barca twice in Champions League final, against Messi & Zlatan last year in the Champions League Q-finals? Is our goalkeeping staff oblivious of this fault? – Thaenho Pucanho Tcefapedinho
A. Hello Thaenho, this is one question many people have asked me before and the answer to it is very complex.
Against Liverpool there were a few glaring mistakes; Arshavin with his sloppy pass, Wilshire with his bad control and the centre back’ not getting close enough. Almunia has been beaten on his near post quiet a few times and at a club like Arsenal, that shouldn’t happen. However, the defending has not helped him.
The coaching side is hard to pass comment because Mr Wenger and his staff keep their training methods very close to their chest. I am sure the coaches do see this and are working at it but as a unit, we must improve. I do believe that the defence needs to help our goal keeper’s as much as possible and the other day at Blackburn away; they did, so perhaps they are working at it.
Q. Which part of our squad is the weakest? – Ahad Shaukat (Karachi, Pakistan)
A. Hello Ahad, great question. I feel the defensive midfield side of our squad is the weakest at the moment. With the injury to Frimpong, who I thought could have been good cover, we are a little short. Alex Song is a world class player and will play most games, but if he has a long term injury then we could be in trouble. His presence is vital. Since we didn’t buy any cover. Denilson and Diaby should fill-in if Song is out or needs a rest.
Q. Is there any way Arsenal can improve on their finishing? They pass & pass & pass, only to make a mess of the final shot. Is more ruthlessness needed? – Akhil Vatsa (Kolkata, India)
A. Hello Akhil, first time I have been able to say that! The passing side of our team is just the Arsenal style. We do have a few players who do sometimes take the shot on like Arshavin, Vermaelen and Rosicky, but we do like to ‘pass our way in’. That is the way Arsenal play.
If you have noticed in the last season or two, we do now have a plan B and that’s to get crosses in and get out striker to attack the ball. We had Adebayor, then Bendtner and now we also have Chamakh so Mr Wenger has worked on a plan B. So when things are not going our way, we can change it around.
Last season at Hull, when we needed a goal, Denilson struck one from outside the box which Bendtner scored with the rebound. So when we need a goal, we do change it around, where as a few years ago we didn’t.
Q. What’s wrong with Arsenal’s training regime? Why do all their players keep getting injured all the time? After Nasri now Frimpong too is injured. This can’t be a coincidence. – Abhay, India.
A. Hey Abhay, the injury question is one that is asked often and to be honest, I do not know the answer. However, I will say, Arsenal pass and move the ball quicker than any other team in the country. This means, we also get a lot of late tackles on us because teams can not keep up and are not quick enough. The late tackles then give us some added injuries.
I know the Frimpong one was in training but a lot of it is done during the matches and they swell up after games and therefore mean a player is out for a few weeks. Not sure how long you have followed Arsenal but if you remember Alex Hleb, his leg used to be battered after games because of all the kicks he had. I am not saying this is the reason why we get injuries but I think it does play a part. Look at the Robin Van Persie injury at the weekend, from yet another late-ish tackle.
Q. Should we switch back to a 4-2-2 with both RvP & Chamakh playing upfront? Arshavin/Rosicky, Cesc/Nasri, Song/Denilson, Walcott/Eboue (l-r) can be our mid-field. This should also give us more defensive solidarity. The quality of our attack should fetch us goals galore irrespective of the formation we play. – Ashley McDonald (UK)
A. Hey Ashley, the formation question was something we really talked about over the summer at the Emirates. My thinking was, for home games we can switch to a 4 4 2 but for away games a 4 5 1 is more suited as it’s more solid (as long as the wide attacking players track back). The problem with going back to a 4 4 2 is I am not convinced we have enough players that can play in the middle. Song and Fabregas seems the most suited but I don’t think that is strong enough. Having Diaby in there gives some steel, also Wilshire has played there and Rosicky and Nasri are not really suited in the middle in a 2-man midfield. So I think the 4 5 1 is more suited for us.
Most big teams use it and sometimes we need to play it so we don’t get out numbered in the middle of the field. So I would perhaps use the 4 4 2 in some home games but away from home I would tend to go with the 4 5 1 and even the home games against say the top 8, I would use the 4 5 1.
Q. Are Denilson/Diaby good enough a cover for Alex Song. Even Frimpong has picked a long-term injury & he looked impressive in pre-season. Aren’t we short on genuinely world-class holding midfielders? – Srivatsa Sinha (Pune, India)
A. Srivatsa, we are short of world class defensive midfielders. It is a massive risk too. Frimpong would have been good cover but with his injury we are short. Problem is, if you buy someone, what do you do when Frimpong comes back, he gets pushed back further. Song is number #1 choice but if he gets a bad injury then we are in trouble.
When Frimpong is back, we have Song then Denilson, Diaby and Frimpong as cover. I do think Diaby and Denilson are good enough to cover in the SHORT term but if Song picked up a bad injury (touch wood) then they may struggle. Let’s just hope Alex Song stays fit!
Q. Why is Wenger shying away from the fact that both Almunia & Fabianski are not suitable to play at this level consistently? Why can’t he try Szczesny, like the way Mancini showed faith with Hart? What about Vito Mannone, why is he even here? Can’t he already see he has no foreseeable future at Arsenal? Arsene has completely ignored this important aspect of the game.
What’s the best way out in your opinion? – Richard Jones (Nice, France)
A. Hi Richard, another great question and something that is oft debated! And everyone you ask will have a different opinion. I think Mr Wenger is playing his card close to his chest. Since we didn’t land a new custodian, Le Prof has no choice but to keep faith with the current lot. Also he cannot go public and ruin the confidence of Almunia and Fabianski (whatever little ie).
Hart is a little older then Szczesny so less of a risk. What if he put Szczesny in and then he made a few mistakes. The pressure would be on and this could ruin a keeper. He has seen what happened to Fabianski and may want to play things safe with WS and put him in slowly; he may play in Carling Cup and FA cup games this year and then eventually start in the league in a year or even two years down the line.
Vito M is a strange one. I can’t see a future for him here because of the competition he faces from WS, but it will be interesting to see what happens. I would want one of them to go on loan; either Fabianski or Vito M needs to go on loan and get some experience.
Thanks for the questions guys, keep’em coming! Up the Arsenal..
Akhil.
Follow 11G on Twitter @11gunnerz
Note: If any of you want to share your views/opinions on the club from N5 (read: Arsenal!), leave Us a comment at the bottom. We’ll get back right away & be glad to give you a chance. Keep Gunning..
PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans
What Is Arsenal Interactive?
Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!
