It reminds me of the early Cesc era where we'd beat some of the biggest and best teams but look terrible against the smaller teams. It's all a cycle. In fact, this is the worst Arsenal team I've seen play under Wenger.Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie
Over the course of a season I can't really disagree, however I'd say specifically the worst I've seen Arsenal play was away from home between August 2005 and May 2007, with the odd exception like winning at old Trafford we scored 40 goals in 38 games lost the majority of games 1-0 because we didn't have the ability to break things down and it was pass, pass, pass lose posession in the opposistion final third.
It was like when we went 1-0 down you could switch off because you knew the outcome. Remember losing 1-0 to Sheffield United when Paddy Kenny the Pilsbury dough boy came off injured and Jagielka was in goal final half hour and not a single save to make....
Wenger writes these things off, comes up with some excuse about how they are anomalies, then he presses on using the same old pattern. That's why we see these terrible low points repeated season after season. The Southampton drubbing. Stuff like that can happen to any team, but not with the regularity it happens at Arsenal. And not with the awful predictability attached. The football is not going to improve because the man in charge doesn't thing there's anything wrong with his team or himself. For him, everyone and everything else is wrong, harsh injustices that deprive his team of the results they are due by some pre-ordained right. That's why despite all the humblings we can still show such arrogance against the "lower" teams. Then he laments we haven't done well enough in the games we should have won. Should have? You have to turn up to win. There's are no freebies and now the new money is in the game Wenger has better get wise, if he still as it in him. Hard times coming for Wenger unless he reevaluates everything and makes the necessary personal and personnel changes.
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Yes, I think I remember patches of that season. The lows were low. Shocking tactics and defending for some games. But I also remember it being the season we’d at least see some sublime stuff. Was it that season RVP scored that sublime volley? We scored some cracking goals and I remember being so impressed with Denilson that season. You could see the potential from the young kids at least. We made it to the Carling Cup final with our kids. Beating Liverpool 6-3 was also a great game to watch. The moves just flowed when we were at our best. I haven’t seen us play anywhere close to that this season. It’s been dire. Not great goals to recall, no cracking games where you can say we played beautiful football….it’s all been disjointed and very basic goals. Nothing really well crafted and worked that gets you off your seat. Not for me anyway. It's been horrible to watch.
Yeah pretty much agree with this, it won't matter who we sign this summer because Wenger is incapable of implementing tactics based on the strengths/weaknesses of the opposition. There is no proper structure to the team, it's as clear as day and night.
We'll probably finish in or around the top 4 next season due to the quality of some of our players, yes we do have some very good ones. We'll not win PL or CL ever again under Wenger because his principles and ideals are too pie in the sky and he refuses to adapt or modify his approach.
I personally think if Poch or even Ranieri was in charge of Arsenal this season we would have won the league.
Like I say there are examples where it's clear Wenger seems to have learnt from his errors, where we are clinical in front of goal and then close the game out....and we do what many teams seem to do to us.
But there is such an inconsistency with it, because it's like Wenger thinks "that's not the Arsenal way".
Some games we adopt a pre match tactic but it falls apart because the guy seems not to have any sense of in game management.
It seems to me like there are signs that he is capable of doing what is needed to take the club forward but it's like his stubborness takes over and it becomes not enough to win, he has to win by his rules.
He is definitely not a proactive manager, he used to be but he's too old and set in his ways to want to be an innovator. But his ego wouldn't allow him to delegate more of his weak areas to capable and trusted underlings. There is clearly been something done with the defence by Steve Bould as statistically in the last few years we tend to charge down more than stand off and there are a lot less long shots or shots outside the box (despite this weekend rather treading on the tail of that somewhat) but we are still too passive and indecisive from set pieces and our full backs don't so enough at times to stop crosses.
I honestly think if the board and the man himself hadnt allowed him to become such a demagogue, the last five-ten years would have been a lot more productive for this club. He's not a total incompetent because a total incompetent wouldn't have consistently got us top four but better oversight from the board and a man prepared to take both advice and criticism would have flourished in a decent environment.
Journalists who have known Wenger for years have said he has gradually changed since Dein left the club, more resolute in taking his own counsel, taking things very personally, being stand offish with people. He has created a bubble around himself and the board have helped him doing it.
The first half of the first game against Utd. Direct, decisive football. I remember being pissed about the second half. We relaxed and settled for what we had. Some fans claimed this was sensible, a long season ahead and all that. I never agree with that sentiment. If players can play 90 minutes they shouldn't be here and we should be ambitious (not stupid, but ambitious) for every one of those 90 minutes. When you slack off enough times it becomes a habit and it's sure as hell our favourite habit at Arsenal. It costs us every season.
But the first 45 minutes of that game was worth watching.
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45 bloody minutes is all we can muster up!It's been horrible.
I'll be honest I was referring specifically to our league games where we scored on average one goal a game off the back of the odd 4-0 win, but mainly couldn't score. It was depressing that you could be 90% sure if you conceded the first goal you weren't coming back into the game. And yes we haven't scored any goal of the season contenders this season but I have to say I prefer average goals to no goals.
Away from home PL - 05/06 and 06/07 combined our record was 13 wins 9 draws and 16 defeats
Last edited by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie; 11-05-2016 at 02:34 PM.
I don't recall feeling like that. Frustrated but never to the point where I'd lose interest in watching the game or nodding off to sleep. It's hard for me to pick 5 games where we've played really well this season and I think I've heard the same said on Arseblog's podcast and other places. People are switching off because it's that predictable.
But whatever floats your boat really. It's your preference at the end of the day. This isn't mine. I can't take another season like this.
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