Arsenal Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2011/2012

KCAccidental wrote: »

for all the people comparing Walcott to Pires & Ljungburg, you cant do it because the way Arsenal play now is very different from 2002-2004. for one it was 4-4-2 back then with much more emphasis on counter attacking, it was easier for Ljungburg to get behind defenders because we would attacking them while they were on the front foot and out of position.

unlike now where we play possession football high up the pitch. This pushes opposition defenders very deep and make its very hard for a player like Walcott to get in behind them, if he was in the 2004 team he would have got many more goals imo, just look at the goals he has scored for arsenal a lot of them have come from the rare times we do find ourselves counter attacking these days.

Also in 4-3-3 he plays much higher up the pitch than freddie or robbie ever did which doesnt suit his game too much, he needs to space to run at defenders and not receive it ball to feet with his back to goal while some neanderthal snaps at his heels. despite this his stats are very encouraging, while his performances can be very inconsistent, but thats to be expected for a 23 year old. Not everyone can be a Fabragas and be the finished article at 21

That may well be true, but all you're really doing is backing up your opponents point about Walcott. He shouldn't have to rely solely on pace and space to beat defenders. Ever heard of a little thing called dribbling? Granted, it's not something we see very often at Arsenal any more, especially since Jack got crocked, but it's a skill Walcott certainly comes nowhere near to possessing IMO. Take Walcott's pace out of the equation (vs a speedy LB for instance) and he's completely out of ideas. He has very, very poor ball control and possesses a complete inability to beat a defender with the ball at his feet.

The only time I ever remember him doing this effectively was that goal in the 5-3 against Chelsea and, like the Spurs goal, that was down almost entirely to blind luck. I'm not saying ship him out just yet, but if he asks for a wage that we determine is anything over what he's worth, I think we should tell him to piss off. Fúck what the English media say, they've hated Wenger since the day he arrived, and tbh, I don't think Wenger gives a fúck.

batistuta9 wrote: »

arsenal get athelic bilbao, marseille & anderlecht in the nextGen series group stage. link

if you don't know what it is, it basically a under 19's champions league

Hmmm might actually watch the Athletic game at least. If this fits right in between that gap we have between Reserve and u18 level, it could well be an interesting watch, and the obvious great benefit of competitive tournament football for our younsters. I love the idea.