I dont subscribe to the often said "we need a plan B" or should try various major tacticall changes. We know Wenger has a way he wants to play the game and the players are schooled this way, it's our way.
We lack incisive attacking play in the final third of the pitch and have had for a few seasons now. With all due respect to Wolves, we should have hammered them.
No team in the prem plays such a posession based game like our's, maybe city but when it comes to a continental type game we are the most continental like.
When I look at Barca, their final third play is on a different planet to anyone. Yes they have the best players but I imagine Guardiola has instructions on how to be incisive and ultimately score the goals that their great play deserves. Barca are the best and but i'm not sure it's purely the players who make them so incisive in their attacking play, it's tactical aswell, they play completely to their strengths.
We do now attempt crosses into the box, particuly when trying get a late desperate goal, as we saw yesterday, I'm not entirely against this tactic but is it really the best way for us to score?
Our type of game is based on posession and technique, which is clearly superior to Wolves. You have to make your superior technique tell. So, move the ball quickly between defenders, make angles from wide players making the pitch bigger, hit the byline and cut the ball back between defenders on the ground.
It has to be one & two touch, play has to really speed up around the final third, players always making angles. Fast incisive play around and in the penalty area on the ground.
I rarely remember Lauren going wide and hitting a hopefull ball into the box, always to the line then a short pass inbetween defenders with players joining in, thats what lesser teams cant defend against and crumble, even when they park the bus. This is collective attacking, with a final purpose.
Our players are capable of this but have not really produced this kind of football for a while now, even with certain players fit and certain star players still at the club.
I say we dont play enough football, and when we start crossing the ball into the box hopefully, my heart sinks, because it's not our way, or Wengers way, and doesn't play to the strength of the players and i'm sure the opposition love it.
Maybe it is about the true quality of the player and how they react during a game but I cant help thinking they could do alot better in the final third with a different mind set and instruction.
More plan A, more football.
posted on 28/12/11
Do you want to know what the problem is?
We've lost Cesc, who kept 60% of the possession for us. Even that tool Nasri did his part.
posted on 28/12/11
Thing is how many people moan about our little passing around the box when we were trying to win a game?? Most people were saying we need have more shots outside the area, more crosses etc.
I dont see the pouint in getting too worked up over the game. We had 27 shots in total and Hennesay and the game of his life. Not much you can do about it really.
posted on 28/12/11
Good article. Football is ultimately about outscoring the opposition and for all our techincal skill and ball-retention in the first 2/3rds of the pitch, it doesn't amount to much if we can't convert this superiority into goals.
Ball retention seems to be a priority even in the final third, when scoring should take over. There's a lack of urgency at times and an unwillingness to play the decisive defence-splitting pass in favour of playing it safely, but generally harmlessly out wide.
posted on 28/12/11
Yes you're right, but even last season I felt we could be quicker and more incisive in the final third. People were going on about Sagna and clichy's crossing but I wanted them doing different things in an attacking sense. Fabregas was a world class match winner and like Van Persie saved us and won us points, Nasri too, to some degree.
posted on 28/12/11
Our set pieces and crosses are appalling. Easy game for Wolves yesterday.
posted on 28/12/11
Our passing and movement is very labored and we are too wasteful in possession with Gervinho and Theo being the biggest culprits. Also we don't have anyone who can play that killer through ball like Cesc used to do and that makes it very hard for us to breakdown teams especially at home where we don't get that much space.
We desperately need a quality playmaker in January, someone in the Mata mould- a wide playmaker basically. Also a striker who can actually score a goal after coming off the bench wouldn't do us any harm either.
posted on 28/12/11
Good article by the way.
It's a shame that your players won't be seeing this article.
I'm eating my lunch as we speak, I will be making a more detailed comment as soon as I'm finished eating.
posted on 28/12/11
All good teams play to there strengths. We are no different to Stoke in that respect.
I love Cruyff's comment to his goalie, when asked about how they should defend set corners, against a Spanish side who were very dangerous from corners, " dont give away any corners of course".
Seem to remember Man Utd hardly getting a corner against them at Wembley. As I said they have great footballers but play entirely to there strengths, thats what Cruyff taught Guardiola.