For quite a while now I've felt that our biggest failing has been on the training ground and not necessarily with our transfer policy........though it of course has had a huge bearing on where we are now.
The team has had the same issues defensively for quite a while now (set piece deficiency, tendency to get mullered on the break, generally conceding soft goals) even though we constantly have a new team due to the revolving door that's been installed at the Emirates.
Now added to that we decide to press teams about three times a season then discard the practise for some reason and now the one thing we could do (passing) has utterly disintegrated. All our players are static which is why we constantly end up passing sideways and backwards. We should call Denilson back from loan as he would excel in this set-up.
There's lots of murmurs now that the players aren't at all happy with training and have been asking for extra and more specific drills. If this is actually the case then this does not bode well at all. Players need to believe in the management and believe that everything is being done to maximise their talents.
Wenger has had the good fortune (and good judgement) of presiding over some incredible players who pretty much could mange themselves and had an inner drive that propelled them to give everything on the pitch. With the degradation of the squad over the years the current batch just don't have that same resolve. They need instruction, shape and to be instilled with discipline and purpose.
Serious changes need to happen when it comes to coaching at the club as things aren't functioning properly but I'm not so sure that they will.......the boss is an autocrat and would find it very hard to relinquish some of his power.
Of course we could always throw some cash around in January ( ) and bring in some quality to boost the players and the fans. That would be wonderful but it would also ignore our root problems. Long term we have to address what we do away from match-day, behind the scenes.
Bloody sick of constantly being out-worked and out-thought by teams that operate on a fraction of what the supposedly mighty European heavyweight Arsenal do.
The Training Ground
posted on 13/12/12
"the boss is an autocrat and would find it very hard to relinquish some of his power."
I'm afraid this is the key line here, he will never relinquish any of his power and give authority to somebody else to try something different.
It isn't even his way or the highway, there is no highway, there is only his way and he will keep persisting with it until...well...that's the thing...god knows when he will stop persisting with the same thing over and over.
I've been crying for the club to spend some money for years and now the signs are there me might do it I actually don't want us to because I know whatever happens in January will be done to paper over the cracks, rather than as you say, addressing the root problems.
posted on 13/12/12
I know where you stand on the manager's position Batmanu. I don't post loads here these days but I still read what's going on. Logically I think my brain has had alarm bells ringing in it for quite a while now.......damn my heart for making things difficult!
Huge January ahead of us, will tell us quite a bit about what the club thinks of our current situation whichever way it pans out.
I'm going to try my best to see this season out and assess things again then. We've reached our lowest point now probably (I flipping hope) so things are really raw.
posted on 13/12/12
Excellent article OP
posted on 13/12/12
Sorry about the length of the article, I think a ja606 rant has been brewing for a bit. I'm chill again.
Here's hoping that we see a bit of professional pride at least against Reading and some fluency. Would love to start enjoying watching the Arsenal again.
Hate having to wait until Monday night for our game.
posted on 13/12/12
5* article.
I concur about the January window only being a window dressing solution especially. Deep-rooted malaise at our club which is multi-faceted and complex but on the field can be attributed almost wholly to our tiki-taki style.