Match reacton thread Vs Swansea

[Niall_Quinn]

Theo has rushes of blood to the head, where he doesn't have time to think, and just does it naturally.

It's when he has to think about it he's fucked, because it means he has to decide for himself. He's best when he's firing from the hip, like Chelsea....he didn't have time to think, he just ploughed through everyone and whacked it one. He's deadly accurate when he's like that. It also happens when he get's the red mist. If he get's angry, he'll just get the rage on and smash a shot goalwards out of nowhere, and it's usually very close to netting.

Best thing for him would be for everyone to slap him about in the dressing room and tell him he's shit. Wind him up and let him go.

Think he'd cry and call his publisher.

[Fats]

Theo can finish no doubt, but he lacks desire and focus.

He IMO is not good enough to be Arsenals centre forward. He lacks intelligent movement and cannot hold onto the ball under pressure.

The biggest problem with him and so many of our players, he does not take any responsibility for his actions and hides behind his team.

[Cripps_orig]

Theo isnt a major problem.

Its the lack of creativity in the middle that is. Last season, he was feeding off Nasri and Cesc and scored 15 goals i think which was excellent and everyone on here was probably sucking his cock and rightly so. I wasnt on here last season due to my sabbatical but ive been on GW long enough to know that it only takes a couple of good games for a player to be cock suck worthy. Kos is a prime example this season. Anyway back to Theo, he scored goals and got assists last season. This season, much like the rest of the team, hes not been at his best and having the Welsh Denilson and the Spanish Denilson in midfield doesnt help. Our most creative CM is Song who is defensive minded and he only really passes to RVP tbh which is fine cos RVP comes up with the goods.

[Fist of Lehmann]

Theo has rushes of blood to the head, where he doesn't have time to think, and just does it naturally.

It's when he has to think about it he's fucked, because it means he has to decide for himself. He's best when he's firing from the hip, like Chelsea....he didn't have time to think, he just ploughed through everyone and whacked it one. He's deadly accurate when he's like that. It also happens when he get's the red mist. If he get's angry, he'll just get the rage on and smash a shot goalwards out of nowhere, and it's usually very close to netting.

Best thing for him would be for everyone to slap him about in the dressing room and tell him he's shit. Wind him up and let him go.

Look at Henry's reaction when he scored against Leeds.

If Theo had some of that, he might actually be close the the sort of player everyone hoped he would be.

But he hasn't, he isn't, and I don't think he will ever be.
The slapping thing is worth a try though.

[Power n Glory]

When was the last time an Arsenal team was equipped to defend a lead? We haven't been doing that since the days of Adams and Co, and even then we often had to score a few to ensure the win. Defending leads is important, no doubt. Scoring goals is even more important though. You're giving Arshavin and Theo a free ride here, claiming it's okay for them to play a few minutes out of the 90 and disappear for the rest because provided they get a goal between them or set one up it should then fall to the defence to hold the lead. Well yes, that's the defence's job but wouldn't it make it easier for them if Theo and Arshavin could play for 90 minutes and maybe make or score a couple of goals?

Arshavin is supposed to be one of the world's talents. Theo a bright up and coming England star (how many years now?) Suppose the formation is wrong, suppose the tactics stink. None of that explains the inefficiencies of these two players when they eventually make it into advantageous positions in the opposition's third. It's their poor decision making, their lack of care and consistency that costs us. Not just them, others are guilty too. But they repeatedly stand out.

The defence is decimated by injuries. Whether this is a legitimate excuse or not is debatable. Should we really have three lefts backs and three right backs in the squad? Can we afford that in terms of a limited number of places on the roster? We could argue about it all day long, but what's Theo's and Arshavin's excuse? They are first team players, they aren't injured, they get repeated chances to perform. Where are they?

We can crucify Ramsey, moan about Arteta, say they can't control the middle like we used to. But they do actually perform their job at least some of the time, they do win the possession, they do distribute the ball. Who are they giving it to though? For me that's the big problem.

It's pretty damn sad when a totally inexperienced kid from the lower leagues can come in and be more effective than Walcott on the wing. Move Theo into the centre and here's what you get:

Theo

As usual.

Where we are at the moment is either relying on van Persie to score twice in every game or for the defence to keep a clean sheet every match. That's because other players aren't contributing or they are contributing way too little. I'm fine with changing the formation and the tactics. No problem with that and I even agree Wenger is one dimensional. But that's the nature of the team we have. We are supposed to be relying on talent and intelligence on the pitch. Our whole game used to be keep the ball, move it, wear the opponent down and out. Score more goals than them. We have a team that's (supposedly) geared towards that style of play. But the quality has dropped alarmingly through lack of investment and theft of the resources by the board. If Wenger was wrong to hold on to the money the cunts on the board were sure as hell wrong to stick it all in their pockets and do a runner. If you want to play various formations and variable tactics then perhaps we need a new manager, but we need a new team too don't forget.

If you look at the losses against Fulham and Swansea, you'd see that we gave away the ball constantly in the middle of the park and couldn't win it back. That is why we lost. For me, Arshavin and Theo like RVP are attacking players. They can be quiet for 40 minutes but have one second where they produce that one pass or shot that changes the game. That's what has been happening for a while now. We've struggled through games but been able to win because we haven't been dominated by the opposition. The two games where we've been outplayed recently have resulted in losses and us conceding goals. I'm not excusing them, just saying it's the sort of position where a lack of quality in the final third means we draw more games or win by a very small margin. If the midfield can't control the game, it reduces the amount of chances our attackers get to create chances and if we have guys on the field that need 4 or 5 opportunities to play in a great ball, then we're in trouble if they're only 2 or 3 chances a game. It's a knock on affect. Henry wasn't always a super clinical striker but you could trust us to always dominate possession and get those chances. It's the same for Adebayor. You can get away with it if you have a strong midfield always controlling the game. I'm not saying it's the way to go, just the way it is.

These guys have been here for a long time and it's bad management from Wenger to keep playing them if they can't produce. It also annoys me because we're talking about two players that are playing out of position. This isn't something new. Wenger played Eboue on the wings for a season until the guy was booed off the field. He played Diaby on the flanks and it took him ages to play the guy in the centre, his natural position. Why is he making the same sort of decisions? Gervinho had a rep for being sloppy in the final third but we went for him anyway. That's Wenger's call.

[Power n Glory]

It's bad management. Theo knows he's guaranteed to start every game. He knows he's one of the senior people in the team (experience wise). And he is allowed to make the same mistakes over and over again. As far as I see, Theo makes 2 big mistakes: 1) He isn't composed when finishing...he hesitates too much and almost apologises for having the ball in such positions and exploiting his pace. 2) He runs into defenders because he doesn't go full-pelt...he is trying to out-smart them instead shamelessly putting them on the backfoot by scaring them. I've seen him do it right a couple of times - notably the 2-2 draw against Barcelona a couple of years ago. He basically needs to realise he only has 2 things: pace and the ability to finish. And that's all you need. You don't need to be Messi and do little flicks and turns and shit. Just kick the ball towards the corner flag, chase it down and smash the ball across the 6 yard box....and when through on goal, don't hesitate - even if you think you're picking the wrong option (e.g. going for a lob) go through with it.

Every time Theo wastes the ball by hesitating and basically being a fanny, Wenger should sub him off at HT and put Oxlade on. But Wenger keeps tolerating it and Theo has been allowed to grow into this annoying muppet.

I think Walcott needs to learn how to dribble with his feet to be honest and then burst into space. But he can't do that because he's not a natural dribbler. I like Gervinho's style of dribble. Defenders have trouble getting the ball of him. Even Eboue had a better dribbling style compared to Theo. He'd keep the ball tight to feet and then start bursting forward with more aggressive strides. Theo goes for aggression and speed every time. He never tried to back the defender up and force the defender to commit and then react.Or he never tries to back them up to the point where they are confused about the direction he's heading in. His movement is telegraphed. On a counter attack, that pace and power style your talking about works, but a defender is composed and tracking his, he's usually in trouble. Plus, defenders always double up on Walcott. Even if he beats one man, he's running into somebody else. He's not cut out to play as a winger. But it's Wenger's call. Around the box, he'd be more dangerous because defenders won't want to give away penalties if he's knocking the ball into space.

[Niall_Quinn]

If you look at the losses against Fulham and Swansea, you'd see that we gave away the ball constantly in the middle of the park and couldn't win it back. That is why we lost. For me, Arshavin and Theo like RVP are attacking players. They can be quiet for 40 minutes but have one second where they produce that one pass or shot that changes the game. That's what has been happening for a while now. We've struggled through games but been able to win because we haven't been dominated by the opposition. The two games where we've been outplayed recently have resulted in losses and us conceding goals. I'm not excusing them, just saying it's the sort of position where a lack of quality in the final third means we draw more games or win by a very small margin. If the midfield can't control the game, it reduces the amount of chances our attackers get to create chances and if we have guys on the field that need 4 or 5 opportunities to play in a great ball, then we're in trouble if they're only 2 or 3 chances a game. It's a knock on affect. Henry wasn't always a super clinical striker but you could trust us to always dominate possession and get those chances. It's the same for Adebayor. You can get away with it if you have a strong midfield always controlling the game. I'm not saying it's the way to go, just the way it is.

These guys have been here for a long time and it's bad management from Wenger to keep playing them if they can't produce. It also annoys me because we're talking about two players that are playing out of position. This isn't something new. Wenger played Eboue on the wings for a season until the guy was booed off the field. He played Diaby on the flanks and it took him ages to play the guy in the centre, his natural position. Why is he making the same sort of decisions? Gervinho had a rep for being sloppy in the final third but we went for him anyway. That's Wenger's call.

Our last playmaker is injured, but he'll recover. Playing Yossi in there was a fuck up for sure, don't know what Wenger was thinking. But we do have players coming back to help out the defence and the middle. Should we be buying in new talent to cover for injuries? I think even if we field the full team minus the injuries our biggest issue is still up top. It's a striker we need, whether to grab us the goals when we're struggling with injuries and bad form or move us forwards when the key players have returned. Who do we play in the middle in the meantime? Even Coquelin is broken now.

[Niall_Quinn]

I think Walcott needs to learn how to dribble with his feet to be honest and then burst into space. But he can't do that because he's not a natural dribbler. I like Gervinho's style of dribble. Defenders have trouble getting the ball of him. Even Eboue had a better dribbling style compared to Theo. He'd keep the ball tight to feet and then start bursting forward with more aggressive strides. Theo goes for aggression and speed every time. He never tried to back the defender up and force the defender to commit and then react.Or he never tries to back them up to the point where they are confused about the direction he's heading in. His movement is telegraphed. On a counter attack, that pace and power style your talking about works, but a defender is composed and tracking his, he's usually in trouble. Plus, defenders always double up on Walcott. Even if he beats one man, he's running into somebody else. He's not cut out to play as a winger. But it's Wenger's call. Around the box, he'd be more dangerous because defenders won't want to give away penalties if he's knocking the ball into space.

Where are you drawing your evidence for Theo being better around the box? His positional play and decision making are awful. Isn't he going to struggle even more and be marked out of it even more of he plays in the middle?

[Boss]

Theo is proven he'll never have what it takes to be a top player. Pace but nothing else. Most half decent strikers can finish the easy 1v1s he has been so not sure why excuses are being made for him.

Was willing to give him a chance a while ago but he's had too many of them and hasn't got a single bit better since he started playing for us. You can point out to a lack of creativity but he is supposed to be one of the people supplying creativity and his end product is still fuck all compared to top players.

When was the last time anyone saw him dominate a game? Does it far too little to be a top player, we must flog him asap.

Rather given Oxlade-Chamberlain the rest of the season to get better than persist with garbage like Theo and Arshavin. Getting tired with Gervinho too but think he could still be a decent creative outlet even if he can't finish for shit.

[Power n Glory]

Where are you drawing your evidence for Theo being better around the box? His positional play and decision making are awful. Isn't he going to struggle even more and be marked out of it even more of he plays in the middle?

Because I watch him week in week out and see how he's able to make space for himself on the wings but ends up getting clattered and fouled. Or how he's able to drive down the right side of a defender, he has the space to pass because he's left the defender for dead but his final ball lets him down.

His off the ball movement is good. When on the shoulder of a defender players can't catch him. He picks up a lot of fouls and players usually have no qualms about smashing into him. They'd be afraid to do that on the edge of the box and would have serious problems stopping him if he's running right at them, as seen with the Chelsea goal he scored.

I could be wrong, I see little strikers like Hernandez, Defoe and Owen play that way. They don't play with the ball to their feet that much. It's just an observation.