The 2011-2012 Football Thread

[Jaffa Cake]

I thought Paul Merson was going to pass out post-match, such was his incoherent ranting.

Sack Wenger and install Merson for a giggle, I say. He has a managerial experience at Walsall so he obviously has all his badges and stuff.

 

[Fuzzy14]

So that makes it Manchester 13-3 London

But every cloud has a silver lining and all that. When's the last time Arsenal scored twice away from home?

 

[pachyderm]

Well done for The Wednesday, Dumbarton and Athletic*


Did anyone pick Dzeko? I had rooney. And is there a fantasy comp this season?
I'm playing here: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/


*We really should have won tho. But I'll take the point.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

And is there a fantasy comp this season?
I'm playing here: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Check the link in my sig, good sir. Still a day or two to sign up.

 

[xUKHCx]

Majestic! Anything City can do, we can do better

City's result was far more impressive than United's.

Arsenal's side is so unbalanced and weakened right now that while the amount of goals was a surprise the thrashing really wasn't.

Tottenham really have no excuse.

 

[AAPLaday]

City's result was far more impressive than United's.

Arsenal's side is so unbalanced and weakened right now that while the amount of goals was a surprise the thrashing really wasn't.

Tottenham really have no excuse.

The average age of Arsenals team was higher than Uniteds. Its their own fault if they have a weak squad. Our youngsters are just better than theirs. We had our best 2 defenders out and a keeper who is still getting used to the league. Its a squad game nowadays. The names we had on our bench would have walked right into Arsenals team

 

[Lord Blackadder]

City's result was far more impressive than United's.

Arsenal's side is so unbalanced and weakened right now that while the amount of goals was a surprise the thrashing really wasn't.

Tottenham really have no excuse.

I have to agree. Spurs played a full-strength side, at home, and should be expected to play better as a unit than Arsenal, who have just had the creative heart of their midfield ripped out, are thoroughly demoralized and had lost two starters to red cards.

Redknapp seems to be trying to shift some blame on Modric, but really the whole squad failed to show up. On this evidence Spurs are going to struggle to stay in the top 6 this season.

The average age of Arsenals team was higher than Uniteds. Its their own fault if they have a weak squad. Our youngsters are just better than theirs. We had our best 2 defenders out and a keeper who is still getting used to the league. Its a squad game nowadays. The names we had on our bench would have walked right into Arsenals team

I wouldn't chalk the victory up to the squad at all, frankly. United win because of Ferguson more than anything else. I think that Chelsea, Man City, or Arsenal would have won the title last season if Ferguson were at the helm. United's squad is good, but not 8-2 good. There are few truly great players on that team at the moment - but Ferguson gets the best out of the squad, keeps morale high, and usually gets his tactics right. The result was not at all shocking, but the margin of victory was a fluke.

 

[oscillatewildly]

Not sure Spurs were at full strength; closer than Arsenal, but their best team? Modric is a distraction, and both sides have players who look like they can't be bothered.

If Arsenal had the squad, tighter game - thank the board and Wenger for the lack of cover.

As for flukes, more please!

Cheers,
OW

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Not sure Spurs were at full strength; closer than Arsenal, but their best team? Modric is a distraction, and both sides have players who look like they can't be bothered.

Spurs let in a lot of goals last season, but were often saved by their offense. Against Man City their defense was again weak, but this time the offense misfired and failed to trade blow for blow with City.

If Arsenal had the squad, tighter game - thank the board and Wenger for the lack of cover.

There's a big mental component too. Arsenal's confidence has been fragile for some time now, whereas Ferguson's men always play 100% up to the final whistle with the nearly fanatical belief (backed up, it must be said, by past experience) that victory will be achieved. Arsenal simply don't have that level of belief, and that's a big factor in tough away matches like this one.

United must be heavy favorites to win the league. At any rate it's going to be a team from Manchester, and probably will be for years to come.

 

[AAPLaday]

I wouldn't chalk the victory up to the squad at all, frankly. United win because of Ferguson more than anything else. I think that Chelsea, Man City, or Arsenal would have won the title last season if Ferguson were at the helm. United's squad is good, but not 8-2 good. There are few truly great players on that team at the moment - but Ferguson gets the best out of the squad, keeps morale high, and usually gets his tactics right. The result was not at all shocking, but the margin of victory was a fluke.

Come on. We have a much better squad than Arsenal. Our young players have more experience because they have been out on loan and have come back ready for primetime. We could have swapped 4 or 5 starting players for the ones on the bench and still would have easily won. They were awful at the back. Wenger played a dangerous high line and got punished badly. The only Arsenal players that would make our bench would be Van Persie and Wiltshire.

If i was an Arsenal fan i would be worried. Chamakh is useless. They have no powerful defensive midfielder. Their defence is very weak and the team have no backbone. He has 2 days to spend the Nasri and Fabregas money. Walcott has less end product than Lennon. Arshavin looks less interested than Berbatov. Their defending was simply disastrous at times. Better get Cahill and 2-3 more quality players who will fit in right away. They cant wait any longer for players with potential to come through.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Our young players have more experience because they have been out on loan and have come back ready for primetime.

Top chap, that Warren Joyce.

As well as bringing youngsters through, Ferguson also recognises where experience is needed in his team and isn't afraid to bring in players with Premier League experience where they're needed. Case in point, look at how well Young has slotted into the team.

Wenger has a talent for finding talented youngsters, that can't be denied – but for whatever reason he seems to baulk at bringing in the experienced players his side needs. My concern for Arsenal isn't that they've lost two key players in Fabregas and Nasri, but that they won't be adequately replaced.

Anyway, it's good that Manchester United continue to bring through talented youngsters, what with them being our feeder team and all that.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Come on. We have a much better squad than Arsenal. Our young players have more experience because they have been out on loan and have come back ready for primetime.

I never suggested the squad wasn't better than Arsenal's. It is, clearly. But the mere strength of the squad is less important than how efficiently the manager uses it, and in that sense Ferguson has the clear upper hand. His ability to not only acquire talent, but to put it to the best use (and to get rid of players at the right time) is the best in the league. I don't rate a Ferguson-less Man U squad to be title contenders. With Ferguson, they are greater than the sum of their parts.

EDIT: Diego Forlan has joined Inter Milan. Going to Italy is probably a good move for a 32 year-old looking to rejuvenate his club career.

 

[Kariya]

Wenger seems to be looking to sign and oldie who can't make the Chelsea first team, another unknown but at least he's experienced, and Ji-Sung Park's lesser known teammate who doesn't seem like a 24-goals-a-season-forward to me. There's also talk of Malouda and Alex.

Seems being the keyword here...chances are none of these will happen.

My question is where is Cahill, Hazard?!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

My question is where is Cahill

Cahill's a good defender, but if you are going to be nitpicky about potential Arsenal transfers it's only fair to mention that he was not exactly commanding aginst Liverpool on Saturday...

 

[Kariya]

^
Alex or Cahill which would you pick...bearing in mind the future as dear Arsene likes to do? I'd actually pick Alex but i didn't think Chelsea would be willing to sell him.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

^
Alex or Cahill which would you pick...bearing in mind the future as dear Arsene likes to do? I'd actually pick Alex but i didn't think Chelsea would be willing to sell him.

Either would strengthen the squad I suppose...though Arsene really can't win. People rag on him for preferring unknown French players, then rag on him for buying established Premier League players like Alex or Cahill.

Look at other "untouchable" defenders at clubs - Terry, Carragher, Ferdinand...highly experienced, but old men with no pace and fragile health, if you want to take the jaundiced view. Arsenal could use a player or two like that though.

 

[Kariya]

We already have a young/future CB in Vermaelen. Alex would be a very good fit for right now whilst we carefully pick another CB for the future. Whereas Cahill might still need a tiny bit of nurturing (no Europe experience for example). Alex has a wealth of experience playing at the highest level and like Terry and Ivanovic can stand his ground against top forward players. Deadly free kicks too.

Maybe Wenger should just buy both. £75m in the wallet and two billionaire owners. Shouldn't be too hard

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Vermaelen is very good. I think either Cahill or Alex could improve the squad. The problem now is time, with the transfer window closing so soon.

 

[Kariya]

True. We shall see...

 

[Silencio]

Vermaelen and Koscielny would make a pretty respectable center half pairing; they need some depth there because Djourou won't be providing it. Alex would be a good short term solution there.

Thought I read today that Arsenal was in for Leighton Baines. Surely Everton will be asking a sky high price for him, though, knowing the window's about to close and Arsenal has the money from Cesc and Nasri sitting there.

Andre Santos looks like another fullback who's better at bombing forward than he is at defending. Still, he would be an improvement over what they've already got.

Arsenal could turn it around with a couple of shrewd purchases, getting the injured / suspended players back, and a few wins to bolster their self-belief. Wenger's got to get over his natural miserliness if he wants to keep is job. I'm still kind of in shock that he could have had Phil Jones last winter for something like £8M but would only offer up £6M. That would have been an amazing bargain and would have strengthened them immensely.

 

[Kariya]

Story of the club. Could've also had Mata but was too slow, Ashley Young (actually wanted to play for Arsenal) but wasn't committed to the deal.

 

[pachyderm]

check the link in my sig, good sir. Still a day or two to sign up.

:d:d:d

 

[Kariya]

You can officially add Mertesacker to the list of Wenger's target too.

 

[oscillatewildly]

Top chap, that Warren Joyce.

...

Talk of flukes earlier, obviously can't put Brady's goal against Reading into that category.

Cahill, Jagielka, and Dawson appear to have been on the slide since playing for England - the state of their teams? But then the state of Arsenal - not that Dawson is on the horizon.

Recalling Mertesacker, I've assigned the name to a player who isn't very good, have I got things mixed up?

Edit; good luck to Forlan - there is a fondness re players who try *, looking at you Arshavin.

* including Hargreaves

Cheers,
OW

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Vermaelen and Koscielny would make a pretty respectable center half pairing; they need some depth there because Djourou won't be providing it. Alex would be a good short term solution there.

Thought I read today that Arsenal was in for Leighton Baines. Surely Everton will be asking a sky high price for him, though, knowing the window's about to close and Arsenal has the money from Cesc and Nasri sitting there....

I agree about Alex - good cover for a season or two. Santos would be useful as a tactical sub or injury cover. As for Baines, I've always been skeptical of that rumor because Everton have an extremely thin squad and haven't bought anybody - it would be suicidal to get rid of a key player like Baines, unless the money was too good to refuse and a replacement was already lined up.

You can officially add Mertesacker to the list of Wenger's target too.

A good buy in my opinion. A stalwart German at the back is just the kind of player Arsenal need. Mertsacker plus Vermaelen is a very solid pairing if they can stay healthy.

Recalling Mertesacker, I've assigned the name to a player who isn't very good, have I got things mixed up

He was solid at the World Cup if I recall. I think you're thinking of Metzelder, another German international defender who is four years older and not as good.

I too hope to see Forlan succeed; he was such an exciting player at the World Cup and showed moments of brilliance at the Copa America as well. He's still got a few season in him, especially in Italy.

EDIT: Chelsea are trying to get their hands on Raul Miereles with a player-plus-cash deal involving Yossi Benayoun. Liverpool have said no and I hope it sticks, because while Benayoun was a great player for us, especially as a super-sub, Miereles was a key player late last season.