What has happened to our football?

[IBK]

Serious post.

Look, I'm prepared to cut our team a break for an unconvincing performance on Saturday. We are missing key players; it was never going to be a vintage performance given the pressure of recent events and new players fitting in.

But my God - what has happened to the famous Arsenal football? Wenger is reknowned for the pace and power if the Invincibles era, when we would regularly score goals from our own penalty area in 10 seconds flat; and for the artistry of the Cesc era when this was at its height. What I saw on Saturday was listless; turgid and hesitant. I've not been to a live game this season before Saturday, and I was especially trying to judge whether this was because of the players not trying. It wasn't. You could tell that they cared very much about winning - even though a few of them were rubbish.

Why can't our forwards and midfield MAKE SOME FUCKING RUNS ONTO THE BALL? What is the point of possession; of running down the wings if there is noone in the final third anything other than too far back and static? Until Chamakh (yes, Chamack!) and in particular Benayoun came on the game going forwards looked like a still photograph.

I'll tell you my theory. Wenger became wedded under Cesc to a type of football that requires utter talent; form and confidence to pull off. It is impossible to achieve effectively if any of these are missing - which explains why we repeatedly nose-dive so spectacularly. Single players cannot make it work. Everyone has to be on fire. In short - it is, and has proved too difficult a style for Wenger and his teams to pull off with anything like consistency.

Second, AW is being left behind. Football evolves constantly but his hasn't for 4/5 years. Look how Manure are thriving playing a type of football that is very very similar to the Invincibles (and what odds on them repeating that feat this season - please God, no )? Football is an easier game, more forgiving when you can exploit space and move the ball quickly from back to front. There is more room for error. Citeh have finally found the personnel to be positive in their play. Despite our reputation for atacking football and our high defensive line, the football we are playing in the final third could often be described as negative rather than positive.

And its a system that is depressingly destructive to our own players. Its no wonder that so many of them are stuttering and shorn of confidence because it doen't offer an easy way to get it back. We are killing Walcott sticking him out on the wing; putting too much pressure on Ramsey and not making best use of Arshavin's talents.

So what do you think has happened to us?

[Kaiser]

It requires work ethic, pressing and a willingness to make off-the-ball runs, as you say. Instead our players seem content to stand still around the edge of the box and pass it to feet. It's been like that for pretty much three seasons. Lazy bastards.

We're pretty much suicidal as we play a high line with no pressing. We don't even play good football anymore, but strangely it's the one narrative thread the media are insistent on promoting.

[IBK]

It requires work ethic, pressing and a willingness to make off-the-ball runs, as you say. Instead our players seem content to stand still around the edge of the box and pass it to feet. It's been like that for pretty much three seasons. Lazy bastards.

We're pretty much suicidal as we play a high line with no pressing. We don't even play good football anymore, but strangely it's the one narrative thread the media are insistent on promoting.

Yes - its wierd, I don't think I have seen a single article that points out that we are actually quite boring to watch most of the time.

But I don't think our players are lazy. Uninspired, perhaps but not lazy. Our style of play seems to leech the effervescence out of our players. look at Ramsey playing for Wales. Look how Walcott can play when running onto, not with, the ball. Frimpong is hardly lazy - neither are Sanga or Gibbs. Its just like a collective leaden-footedness.

[selassie]

I personally think that because we're constantly in transistion we don't really ever get to grips with a settled style of play. I accept that with Cesc around our play leaned more towards "Barca Lite Style" possession football, but for me we've not really played at a high level with a defined style since the days of a midfield of Cesc, Flamini, Rosicky & Hleb.

I think our style now has to move away from the possession based game to a more counter attacking based style, if you look at the wide positions and Midfield, our play IMHO should be focused more around counter attacking style and that's where I believe our strengths lie.

IMHO Our football has been in slow decline for about 3 seasons now. I think losing Cesc gives us a perfect oppurtunity to modify our style.

[IBK]

I personally think that because we're constantly in transistion we don't really ever get to grips with a settled style of play. I accept that with Cesc around our play leaned more towards "Barca Lite Style" possession football, but for me we've not really played at a high level with a defined style since the days of a midfield of Cesc, Flamini, Rosicky & Hleb.

I think our style now has to move away from the possession based game to a more counter attacking based style, if you look at the wide positions and Midfield, our play IMHO should be focused more around counter attacking style and that's where I believe our strengths lie.

IMHO Our football has been in slow decline for about 3 seasons now. I think losing Cesc gives us a perfect oppurtunity to modify our style.

I think that's why people were disappointed by Saturday - because it looked a lot like we were playing the Cesc system, just without Cesc. I do appreciate that AW may not have had time to tweak things - particularly with the new players coming in. I have noticed an attempt to be more fluid with players (Walcott/Arshavin); Arteta; RVP; Benayoun shifting around a bit. And we have key players missing (Song; Wilshere; Gervinho). But its pace, and movement off the ball that is the problem and I'm seeing no more of it this season.

[Marc Overmars]

Our football hasn't been that great for a few years now. It really hit home this weekend how dull we are compared to United and City who attacked at an incredible pace and really exploited the wide areas to stretch their opponents.

I'd even say we've become a little more pragmatic in terms of how our goals are being scored.

[Keith]

Blackburn and the midweek game will show what the new Arsenal team look like, I wasn't expecting loads on Saturday as the squad had one training session together before it.

[Power n Glory]

It's bad training. Wenger won't allow the players to experiment with long passes or little chips, he restricts them to playing the ball on the ground which means our players are almost always dropping deep for the ball but while we have this restriction on passes, there is no restriction on movement. He's happy to let the wide players drift into the centre, forwards dropping back and defenders bursting forward. That sort of freedom on the pitch leads to confusion. Our players don't know where to run or who to mark and the constant chopping and changing to the team doesn't help either.

Back in the Invincible days, everyone knew Henry would drift to the left, Pires would cut in, Cole would overlap, Bergkamp would drop deep and Gilberto would sit back with Vieria doing his box to box thing. They had the freedom to move but there was order and they each knew each others movement and what each player was capable of. We don't have that now. We've got at least 3-4 players playing out of position and doing what isn't natural to them and that's restrictive.

[IBK]

It's bad training. Wenger won't allow the players to experiment with long passes or little chips, he restricts them to playing the ball on the ground which means our players are almost always dropping deep for the ball but while we have this restriction on passes, there is no restriction on movement. He's happy to let the wide players drift into the centre, forwards dropping back and defenders bursting forward. That sort of freedom on the pitch leads to confusion. Our players don't know where to run or who to mark and the constant chopping and changing to the team doesn't help either.

Back in the Invincible days, everyone knew Henry would drift to the left, Pires would cut in, Cole would overlap, Bergkamp would drop deep and Gilberto would sit back with Vieria doing his box to box thing. They had the freedom to move but there was order and they each knew each others movement and what each player was capable of. We don't have that now. We've got at least 3-4 players playing out of position and doing what isn't natural to them and that's restrictive.

Wonder if its this attempt at 'total football' gone wrong? I have felt for some time that our players need more control and direction as to what they are supposed to be doing.

@ keith - I agree with you re seeing what the players can do - but a few more training sessions aren't going to alter the pace of our game; the refusal to contemplate aerial balls etc...

[Darth Vela]

Didn't see the game on Saturday but from the higlights it looked like we were trying to use a little more width and get the pace of the passing back in our game, by all accounts a little more hesitant still but actually trying to use a little more pace and get in behind.

I think we're no longer wedded to the 'Cesc way' with everything going through him and less emphasis on the team but as it's been the way we've been playing for quite a while I think it's the taking time to adapt AND bed in new players at the same time that's leading to us retaining that sluggish, lurching kind of play.

So, essentially, I reckon our football left for a while but is on it's way back, it's easy to forget the times when we were scoring shedloads and passing it around well (it was only the start of last season in case people had forgotten when) whilst we're churning out the shit we are but I think we needed a major change and whilst it's happening I think we're going to have to expect a little bit of turbulence. It might well be that it doesn't return under Wenger, then there's only really one option.