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Pretty sure I'm the only Gooner around here that posts regularly, so this is a spot where I can come bitch about the side under-performing and Wenger refusing to spend money. A rant from the Champions League thread...
This side is just utterly inconsistent. They can play at a really high level at times and then they can do just shite. Its hard to tell what you are going to get when.
I still think it comes down to a lack of leadership on the pitch. Van Persie is a world class player but I don't know that he provides the kind of leadership a young side needs. He's also the only world class player in the side. Vermalaen is also supposed to be a leader but he just doesn't always seems to have that presence you expect a defensive leader and class center back to have. I see it there sometimes, but not that often.
They lack real creativity in midfield. The kind of incisive, creative passing that Cesc provided. Or even Nasi at times. Its just not there. Wilshire should bring it, but when the fuck is he going to be back and how long will it take for him to find form? Arteta seemed to have that kind of creativity at Everton but its not there for Arsenal. Don't know if he's being asked to do different or what. Walcott is indeed Walcott. Ultra dangerous in a very very limited way and almost useless otherwise. None of the strikers outside of Van Persie are close to dangerous.
I won't even guess what happened with the defense.
Were the beaten before they stepped on the pitch? It sounds like they played that way. No excuse for that. Milan are class and it was always going to be tough, but even Leverkusen should at least a little bit of fight yesterday against Barcelona...
It just pisses me off. Because the side doesn't measure up to what Arsenal had when they were winning titles. They had a couple of truly world class players and a squad full of talent who could legitimately walk into almost any side in the Prem. Now they've got a bunch of good-but-not-really-great players outside of RVP who clearly can't do it all himself. And quite simply, its Wenger's fault. He refuses to spend. As a supporter, it leaves me conflicted. I love that the club is one of the only fiscally responsible ones in the league and working to get rid of any outstanding debt, and that the current squad was built for far less money than any other top English side, except for maybe Sperz. I've always liked that. But Wenger has admitted he basically knew Fabregas and Nasri would leave in the summer, yet he refused to spend on quality players. If it wasn't for them getting eviscerated by United in late August, I doubt the likes of Arteta would have come in and they would have been in even worse shape. They have built expectations of Arsenal being a top four club and in Europe every season, but they aren't building a side to do that nor spending what it takes. So they are building a side that is maybe top half Prem caliber - at least they should be fucking honest about that.
I still think it comes down to a lack of leadership on the pitch. Van Persie is a world class player but I don't know that he provides the kind of leadership a young side needs. He's also the only world class player in the side. Vermalaen is also supposed to be a leader but he just doesn't always seems to have that presence you expect a defensive leader and class center back to have. I see it there sometimes, but not that often.
They lack real creativity in midfield. The kind of incisive, creative passing that Cesc provided. Or even Nasi at times. Its just not there. Wilshire should bring it, but when the fuck is he going to be back and how long will it take for him to find form? Arteta seemed to have that kind of creativity at Everton but its not there for Arsenal. Don't know if he's being asked to do different or what. Walcott is indeed Walcott. Ultra dangerous in a very very limited way and almost useless otherwise. None of the strikers outside of Van Persie are close to dangerous.
I won't even guess what happened with the defense.
Were the beaten before they stepped on the pitch? It sounds like they played that way. No excuse for that. Milan are class and it was always going to be tough, but even Leverkusen should at least a little bit of fight yesterday against Barcelona...
It just pisses me off. Because the side doesn't measure up to what Arsenal had when they were winning titles. They had a couple of truly world class players and a squad full of talent who could legitimately walk into almost any side in the Prem. Now they've got a bunch of good-but-not-really-great players outside of RVP who clearly can't do it all himself. And quite simply, its Wenger's fault. He refuses to spend. As a supporter, it leaves me conflicted. I love that the club is one of the only fiscally responsible ones in the league and working to get rid of any outstanding debt, and that the current squad was built for far less money than any other top English side, except for maybe Sperz. I've always liked that. But Wenger has admitted he basically knew Fabregas and Nasri would leave in the summer, yet he refused to spend on quality players. If it wasn't for them getting eviscerated by United in late August, I doubt the likes of Arteta would have come in and they would have been in even worse shape. They have built expectations of Arsenal being a top four club and in Europe every season, but they aren't building a side to do that nor spending what it takes. So they are building a side that is maybe top half Prem caliber - at least they should be fucking honest about that.
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